EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 7 Scottish police are being instructed to restrain their sarcasm when dealing with the growing Polish population in Edinburgh.
Lothian and Borders officers are being told in a series of two-hour seminars that sarcastic humor -- which has become something of a trademark for British police -- is seen as "very rude" in Poland and could cause confrontations rather than diffuse them, The Scotsman reported Monday. The seminars also cover other legal and cultural differences between Edinburgh life and what the migrating Poles might be used to. The current number of Polish transplants living and working in the Scottish capital is estimated to exceed 20,000.
"We aim to give staff an insight into Polish culture and some of the differences between their laws and ours," said Inspector Moore McCartney, of the force ' s diversity unit. "There are some very significant areas that differ and come as quite a surprise to our staff." "Polish nationals might also be more wary of reporting crimes and dealing with the police as historically relations between police and communities in Poland have not been strong.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
