Arabic Police & PACE Interpreting

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and its accompanying Codes of Practice set strict requirements for the use of interpreters in police custody. Code C (detention, treatment and questioning of persons) specifically addresses interpreter requirements that police forces must follow when dealing with Arabic-speaking suspects, witnesses, and victims.

Key PACE requirements for Arabic interpreting include:

• Right to an interpreter — Any person who has difficulty communicating in English is entitled to an interpreter at public expense. This includes Arabic-speaking suspects in custody, witnesses providing statements, and victims reporting crimes. The custody sergeant must arrange an interpreter before any substantive interview takes place.
• Caution interpretation — The police caution ("You do not have to say anything...") must be interpreted accurately and in full. Arabic has no direct equivalent for some English legal concepts, so our interpreters use established Arabic legal translation formulations that convey the exact meaning and implications of the caution.
• Rights and entitlements — The suspect's custody rights (right to legal advice, right to have someone informed, right to medical treatment) must be explained through the interpreter. Our Arabic interpreters carry bilingual rights cards and are familiar with the standard wording used across UK police forces.
• Written notices — PACE requires that written notices of rights and entitlements be provided in the suspect's language where practicable. We can provide certified Arabic translations of custody documentation if required.
• Interview recording — PACE interviews are audio-recorded (and sometimes video-recorded). The interpreter's voice is recorded alongside the interviewing officer and suspect. Our interpreters are experienced with recorded interview procedures and maintain clear, professional speech for the recording.

All Arabic Translation UK police interpreters receive PACE-specific training and are regularly updated on changes to Codes of Practice. For urgent custody cases, call 0800 193 8888 for immediate interpreter deployment.

In police investigations, correctly identifying an Arabic speaker's dialect is not just a matter of communication quality — it can be directly relevant to the investigation itself. An Arabic speaker's dialect reveals their country or region of origin, which may corroborate or contradict claims about identity, nationality, or travel history.

Our Arabic police interpreters are trained in dialect identification and can assist officers in several ways:

• Nationality verification — A suspect claiming to be from one Arab country but speaking the dialect of another may raise investigative questions. Our interpreters can identify the broad dialect group (Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi, Gulf, North African) and often narrow it to a specific country or region.
• Interview accuracy — Using an interpreter who speaks the same dialect as the interviewee ensures maximum accuracy. A Moroccan Arabic speaker may use vocabulary and expressions that an Egyptian Arabic interpreter does not recognise, potentially leading to misunderstandings in a critical interview.
• Cultural context — Different Arabic-speaking countries have different cultural norms around interaction with police. Our interpreters understand these differences and can provide cultural context (when appropriate and requested) to help officers interpret behavioural cues correctly.
• Multi-dialect cases — Some investigations involve multiple Arabic-speaking parties from different countries. We can provide multiple dialect-specific interpreters or a single interpreter fluent in several dialects, depending on the case requirements.

We maintain a network of Arabic interpreters covering all major dialect groups, with the fastest availability in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and other major cities. For specialist dialect requirements (e.g. Sudanese Arabic, Yemeni Arabic), we recommend booking 24 hours in advance where possible. See also our court interpreting services for cases that progress to prosecution.