Sight loss charity Galloway’s has welcomed back PC Ashley Gibson to its Penwortham base to discuss Lancashire Constabulary now having braille warrant card holders.
The warrant card holders, which have the word ‘Police’ in braille, have been issued as part of the force’s commitment to support people with visual impairment.
They come in a black leather wallet with the police officer’s name and photo and are used for identification purposes. The aim is to help a person with sight loss know they are talking to a member of the police, rather than a possible conman.
PC Gibson is a familiar face at Galloway’s, having visited some of its coffee mornings and has been interviewed a small handful of times for the Talking Newspaper.
He said: “I have visited Galloway’s several times and during one coffee morning someone asked me why the police do not have braille cards and badges so they can know who they are?
“We know not everyone can read braille but it is a step in the right direction and it is fantastic Lancashire Constabulary now has these braille warrant card holders as not all police services have them."
Kevin Lonergan, sight loss advisor at Galloway’s, said: “We are delighted Lancashire Constabulary is committed to supporting people living with sight loss. We’ve worked with the force for a long time to provide useful advice and support to blind and partially sighted people across the county.”
As well as discussing the braille warrant badges, PC Gibson talked to Kevin Lonergan about hate crime.
He added: "It is good to come and spread awareness about what a hate crime is and how and where you report it. Disability hate crime is under reported but we would encourage people to report it as help and support is available and Lancashire Constabulary takes hate crime very seriously.”
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