Arabic Police & PACE Interpreting

Strict rules on interpreters for people held in police custody come from the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, known as PACE, and its Codes of Practice. Code C (detention, treatment and questioning of persons) sets out what police forces must do about interpreters for Arabic-speaking suspects, witnesses and victims.

These are the main PACE requirements for Arabic interpreting:

• Entitlement to an interpreter, Anyone who has difficulty communicating in English has the right to an interpreter, paid for from public funds. That covers Arabic-speaking suspects in custody, witnesses giving statements and victims reporting a crime. The custody sergeant has to arrange an interpreter before any substantive interview starts.
• Giving the caution in Arabic, The police caution ("You do not have to say anything...") has to be interpreted completely and accurately. Some English legal ideas have no direct equivalent in Arabic, so our interpreters rely on established Arabic legal terminology that carries the precise meaning and effect of the caution.
• Custody rights, The interpreter must explain the suspect's rights during detention (legal advice, having someone notified, medical treatment). Our Arabic interpreters carry bilingual rights cards and are familiar with the standard wording UK police forces use.
• Notices in writing, Under PACE, written notices of rights and entitlements should be given in the suspect's own language wherever practicable. If required, we supply certified Arabic translations of custody paperwork.
• Recorded interviews, PACE interviews are audio recorded and in some cases video recorded as well. The recording picks up the interpreter's voice together with the officer's and the suspect's. Our interpreters know how recorded interviews work and speak clearly and professionally for the recording.

Every Arabic Translation UK police interpreter is trained in PACE and kept up to date with each change to the Codes of Practice. For an urgent custody matter, call 0800 193 8888 and we will send an interpreter immediately.

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.