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Description
This project addresses the problem of inability and lack of knowledge of procedures for dealing with people with intellectual disabilities among police officers in the Lubelskie voivodship. Often, police do not recognize unusual behavior as disability, and people who are detained do not receive support suitable for their disability-related needs. Often, they do not understand criminal proceedings and cannot participate in them properly. This reduces the likelihood of them being assured due process. A few years ago, there was a highly publicized case in Poland of a person with cerebral palsy who was convicted and ordered to do community work for not paying a bus fare. This is an example of the importance of recognizing disability and proper conduct of an interview. Unfortunately this issue is not covered in basic police training. The Project Promoter will organize eight meetings for police officers on recognizing and procedure for dealing with people with disabilities. They will also participate in research on the knowledge and practices used by police with respect to people with disabilities. The findings will be included in a report, with recommendations, to be used for advocacy measures (for instance for training on the subject of disability to be compulsory and employment of experts at police stations). Forty police officers in the Lubelski region will benefit directly, improving their ability to recognize various disabilities and learning procedures and how to talk to people with disabilities, and the options for providing assistance. In fact, any people with disabilities of various kinds, including intellectual disability, whose needs and right to due process are acknowledged by law enforcement bodies, will benefit.
Summary of project results
The project addresses the problem of a lack of skills and unfamiliarity with the principles of dealing with people with intellectual disabilities among police officers from the Lubelskie Voivodeship. Non-normative behaviour is often not recognised by the police as a disability and detained persons do not receive support adequate to their disability-related needs. They often do not understand criminal proceedings and are unable to fully participate in them, which reduces their chances of a fair trial. A few years ago, there was a high-profile case in Poland involving a person with infantile cerebral palsy who was sentenced to restriction of liberty and social work for riding a bus without a valid ticket. This example shows how important it is to recognise the disability and to conduct the hearing correctly. Unfortunately, this topic is not included in the offer of basic police training.
As part of the project, project promoter organised 8 online meetings for 40police officers. The meetings dealt with recognising and dealing with persons with disabilities and were conducted by specialists in areas such as psychology, special education, alternative communication, psychiatry, law and addiction therapy. Legal training was devoted to people with disabilities in the international protection system and in the Polish legal system. On the basis of surveys monitoring the state of knowledge and practices applicable by the police in relation to persons with disabilities, a report with recommendations was created and submitted to the Police in Lublin. The recommendations included the need to include the subject of disability in compulsory training and to employ experts at police stations.
40 people working in the Police in the Lubelskie Voivodeship benefited directly form the project. They developed their skills in recognising different disabilities, the principles of dealing with and talking to people with disabilities, and possible ways of providing assistance. In addition, a very important result of the project is establishment of cooperation between the project promotors and the Police in Lublin. The project will primarily benefit people with various disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, as their needs and procedural rights will be taken into account to a greater extent by Lublin law enforcement agencies.