Deaf man ‘let down’ by police after assault as no interpreter available

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/crime/deaf-man-assault-no-interpreter-police-1-5766368

6 November 2018

Deaf man ‘let down’ by police after assault as no interpreter available

 […] The 66-year-old was “badly shaken”, bruised and left with a cut on his arm after the incident on August 5. Mr Crackwell’s neighbour took him to Bethel Street Police Station to make a statement, but on arrival there were no BSL interpreters.

Mr Cracknell said: “When I arrived at the station and the police hadn’t been able to get an interpreter I felt bad and very upset.

“I need an interpreter, I have to understand what is happening and to explain what happened to me.”

Mr Cracknell had to communicate with officers by writing down everything down. But this was still a struggle as English is not his first language as he has spent most of his life using BSL.

He added: “I was shaken after the attack and disappointed there was no interpreter. I was told they only work Monday to Friday. This made me very angry and upset. Police need to have an interpreter working 24/7.”

Police say that the use of interpreters is outsourced and that they tried to get Mr Cracknell one but none were available.

A police spokesman said: “Officers have investigated this incident and carried out a number of enquiries, including obtaining a written statement from the victim from the outset.

“Norfolk police relies on sourcing interpreters from an external organisation and an appointment was made for an interpreter at a later date.

Yorkshire's police forces contracted company now ordered to pay Leeds firm damages

https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/exclusive-yorkshire-s-police-forces-contracted-company-now-ordered-to-pay-leeds-firm-damages-1-9426498?fbclid=IwAR0HYOfc8Aw9yN_A878ik04BZ9gj_zmSEQSYJXBUQHobcKoUm-pJ3lKlArQ

2 November 2018

Yorkshire's police forces contracted company now ordered to pay Leeds firm damages

Yorkshire’s police forces agreed lucrative multi-million-pound contracts with a translation service that has since been ordered to pay damages to a firm after diverting its profits. Language Empire Limited was ordered in September to pay £142,044 to Leeds-based claimant the Big Word, which counts various Government departments among its global clientele. Following an Intellectual Property Enterprise Court trial, a judge ruled that the defendant, based in Rochdale, made “significant sales” by converting business enquiries from two of its websites which looked like they were connected with the Big Word. In a published court judgement, Judge Melissa Clarke assessed that this could have occurred from June 1, 2014 to March 31, 2017 – the day before North, West, South and Humberside Police began contracts with the firm for translation, interpretation and transcription services on April 1.

[…]

SYP’s contract is worth an estimated £783,000, with HP’s at £515,000 and NYP’s at £490,000. These were arranged by the forces’ Regional Procurement team. A joint statement from the forces reads: “In light of the recent news regarding Language Empire Ltd, we are currently reviewing the information presented and our position in relation to the service.” Language Empire said the court action related to issues “initiated by a sub-contractor”.

A spokeswoman said: “On the advice of our legal team, we have submitted an appeal on the judge’s ruling and we are now in the early stages of that process. “Following the case, we have thoroughly reviewed our policies and procedures to ensure such issues cannot occur again in the future. “We are currently working closely with all of our clients to reassure them that these issues are historic and do not represent our values as a business. “All public sector work has been secured after rigorous procurement exercises, and we continue to deliver the high-quality services expected by our clients.”

Ireland: Supreme Court to hear Minister’s appeal over interpreter contract

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/companies/supreme-court-to-hear-minister-s-appeal-over-interpreter-contract-1.3677273

26/10/18

Supreme Court to hear Minister’s appeal over interpreter contract

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform over a decision overturning the award of a contract for supply of interpreters for the State’s immigration service and Legal Aid Board.

The appeal will address what criteria must be met before the courts can interfere with the award of a contract following a tender process governed by public procurement regulations.

The Minister had applied to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal a decision of the Court of Appeal last June on proceedings brought by Word Perfect Translation Services Ltd, which tendered unsuccessfully for the interpreters contract.

The contract was awarded to another firm, Forbidden City Ltd, trading as Translation.ie. Word Perfect, which supplied interpreters to State bodies over several years, lost out by some 15 marks out of a possible 1,000 and it made several complaints about how the tenders were evaluated.

The Court of Appeal found two “manifest errors” in the tender evaluation process left it with no option, particularly given the closeness of the contest, but to set aside the award of the contract.

The request for tenders for interpretation services was published in October 2015 by the Office of Government Procurement.

The Court of Appeal found that the evaluators committed one manifest error insofar as the quality assurance plan was concerned in wrongly treating Translation.ie as having supplied a “narrative” in the manner required by the tender when Translation.ie had not done so.