Cash lost in translation

THE cost of the provision of interpreter services to quiz foreign nationals by police in Comet country could cost close to ￡900,000 during the coming year.

It has been estimated that the bill for Bedfordshire police will be ￡493,522, up 207 per cent since 2004, the highest rise of any force in England and Wales.

The Hertfordshire police bill could hit almost ￡400,000 during the past year, up nearly 25 per cent from three years ago.

The cost of interrogating foreign nationals in Herts when investigating crime is continually rising with the highest number of incidents where an interpreter has been needed being in the eastern area which covers Stevenage and North Herts.

During the past year there have been 406 incidents - the highest in the county - with 10.7 per cent of all arrests countywide being foreign nationals.

Top of the table for foreign nationals needing an interpreter after being arrested were immigrants from Poland standing at 24 per cent followed by Chinese at 12.8 per cent then by people from Bulgaria, Romania, Iran, Italy, Lithuania, France, Hungary and Iraq.

But there is a warning in a report to Hertfordshire Police Authority delivered on Friday by temporary Supt Richard Harbon on the provision of interpreter services that the police are concerned about the rising costs.

He said: "As the figures show, the number of persons being detained is rising steadily. With the opening of larger custody suites at Stevenage, Hatfield and Hoddesdon, as well as the collaboration at Bishop's Stortford, it is anticipated the number of persons arrested will increase further.

"Further data indicates that, with the removal of travel restrictions throughout the European Union, there has been an influx of foreign nationals into this country.

"This has led to an increase in the percentage of foreign nationals into our custody suites and a rise in the requirements for interpreter services."

The figures for Herts are only available from 2004/5 when the county's police were spending ￡310,000 on translation services.