21 May 2009 Edition

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Policing meeting in Irish a historic step forward

The North’s Policing Board held a groundbreaking meeting this week entirely through the medium of Irish.
Speaking in advance of the meeting in Derry’s City Hotel on Tuesday night Sinn Féin MLA and Policing Board member Martina Anderson described it as a historic step forward in terms of equality for the Irish language community.
“This is a significant step forward in terms of the equality agenda and recognition of the needs of the Irish language community and should  be welcomed”, she said.
Translation services were available for people who wanted to raise issues so that people could come along and participate in this historic occasion.
The meeting will be the first of four meetings held across the North where the business will be conducted in Irish.
“The Irish language community needs to be recognised by all statutory agencies and treated as equals and this meeting is recognition by the Policing Board of that right.  These series of meetings are part of the programme of outreach by the PSNI to the Irish language community so a better understanding and relationship with that community can be developed”, Andseron said.

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