02/09/2005

PSNI launch special olympics programme

The PSNI have launched a new programme aimed at developing the skills of police officers working with vulnerable people in local communities.

The Special Olympics Law Enforcement (SOLE) programme has been developed in partnership with An Garda Siochanna and Special Olympics Ireland, to build awareness amongst student officers about the Special Olympics movement. It will assist all new entrants in developing skills which will help them work with a vulnerable section of our society.

Speaking at the launch of the event, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland said: "I am delighted to launch this SOLE programme today and it is through such forward thinking initiatives like this, that a silent and vulnerable section of our society will be provided with a more caring police service.

"By teaching this programme to students at the outset of their policing career, we hope to emphasise the importance of these lessons. It creates opportunities for student officers to interact with people with learning disabilities and gain greater insight into how policing approaches can be adapted to their needs."

The three organisations formed the Law enforcement Torch Run Committee in 2003 after the Special Olympics World Games, as a way of continuing their support for the Special Olympics movement in Ireland.

The committee devised a training programme taught to all new police officers that has been hailed as a milestone in the area.

(MB/SP)

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