A policeman who likes to mix it up a bit

Published on Tuesday 27 October 2009 08:46

A HIGH five from a young Muslim lad outside a mosque, a cup of tarninowka and slice of makoweic (that's Polish for fruit tea and poppy cake) at a local deli, even a quick short back and sides at the hairdressers.

It all sounds like a pretty relaxed way to spend a day at work – especially when that work is now up for a national award.

But then Pc Simon Daley has a way of making his job look deceptively easy. In fact, the warm handshakes, the invitations to pray at the local mosque and the friendly banter are the result of five years pounding the beat in Broughton, thought to house the largest mix of cultures in the Capital.

That work has led to his nomination as Community Police Officer of the Year – and he'll find out tomorrow, at a glittering ceremony in London, if he's won the Jane's Police Review Gala Award.

And while the gold medal, which goes with the title, would be nice, for the 40-year-old the ultimate prize would be a community free from the unpleasant cultural clashes he has witnessed over the years.

In particular, the Polish community in Edinburgh gets a poor deal, according to Pc Daley, from some locals who he believes are misled into thinking immigrants are here to leech jobs and cause trouble. He says: "There are people who carry out hate crimes. We've had instances of people going into shops and shouting abuse at the foreign workers, mostly because they are ignorant and feel the Poles are taking over their country."

His task hasn't been helped by the high-profile case of Polish cousins Michal Marchlewski and Tomasz Kryczyk, who last year raped a 24-year-old beautician eight times after dragging her into bushes. Earlier this month, Marchlewski admitted the crime at the High Court in Edinburgh – he will be sentenced later – while Kryczyk hanged himself in prison.

Pc Daley sighs: "Bad things tend to stick in the minds of those who are suspicious of the foreign communities. But, just like in our community, it's a very small and radical minority that commits such crimes."

There was suspicion on the other side too when he started out: "The Polish people themselves kept themselves to themselves when they first arrived here because they didn't know what was available to them," explains Pc Daley.

"So I went around putting posters up in every Polish shop, I visited places of worship with a translator and told them that the police were here to help."

He's even researched Scottish-Polish links, unearthing details such as the fact that Scottish soldiers did a lot of fighting for the Poles in the 1700s, especially during the Siege of Vienna.

"And thousands of Polish troops were sent here during the Second World War as a last line of defence against the Nazis. They also did a lot for the local community," he adds.

A war memorial to the Scotland-based Polish soldiers who fought and died during the Second World War, unveiled last November, was the result.

His Polish connections have helped in other ways too – when the Polish ambassador visited last year he was able to present him with a traditional Polish welcome of bread with salt inside, thanks to advice from hairdressers, Iza Swederska, 24, and Marzena, 26, from Victoria Barbers on Leith Walk, where he's a regular visitor.

Iza, who has lived in Edinburgh for two years, explains: "We haven't personally had any problems since we came here, but things have definitely been made easier by Pc Daley."

It's not just the Polish community which Pc Daley talks passionately about integrating into Edinburgh – his daily rounds including Chinese, Bangladeshis, Africans and Pakistanis.

He visits Shahjalal Mosque, on Leith Walk every other day to get updates on the Muslim community and takes part in a Mosque forum which brings all the imams together once every two months.

The biggest issue, he says, has been getting the Muslim community to trust him – something he has achieved, judging by the warmth of their welcome.

He says: "You find the Muslims can be very resistant to any police interference. They mistrust us because they're scared we'll tar with the same brush as extremists who cause trouble."

If he does clinch the 3000 bursary prize which also goes with the title, he says he'll put it towards building a new youth centre in the area. But he maintains that the biggest step forward for Edinburgh locals and Poles is simply to talk. "Word of mouth is always the best advertising, so if I can encourage the two communities to mix more, learn about each other and develop a sense of trust, we'll be able to benefit from each other once again."

GOING THE EXTRA MILE

PC Simon Daley is not the only bobby on the beat to be up for a nomination in the Jane's Police Review Gala Awards.

Special constable Frank Johnston, who was based in Craigmillar, is up for The lifetime Achievement Award after 33 years' service with Lothian and Borders Police, before which he served in the Special Constabulary.

The force says SC Johnston is a worthy candidate for the award after rigorously serving the Craigmillar community despite its "significant and demanding social issues". He was also assigned to crowd control during the Pope's visit to the Capital in 1982 and has policed the Edinburgh Military Tattoo for 35 years.

A police spokesman says: "Frank does not seek any reward other than that he is putting something back into the community."