Gardai learn basic Polish in their bid to serve immigrants

“THE country’s growing Polish community will soon be able to speak to local gardai in their native tongue.

Members of the force around the country have undertaken “basic Polish” language classes, according to the Garda Press Office.

There are over 130,000 Polish people now living here and the efforts of the gardai will help to improve communication, particularly with Polish people who have little English. In one case, almost a dozen Donegal gardai are in the middle of a basic Polish language course at Letterkenny Vocational School.

Letterkenny Sergeant Christy Galligan, who is one of the students, said the course would last 10 weeks and participating gardai would then have the option of progressing to a higher standard of the language. “The course is very good. We are being taught by a Polish guy and he is learning some English from us. “There are more than 3,000 Polish nationals living in the county and the course will help us have a better understanding of each other. It is useful for greetings, asking for names and addresses and for giving directions. We also learn about their country and their customs.”

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