Cumbria Police have undergone specialist training on interviewing vulnerable adults and children who are victims or witnesses to crime.

The course aims to boost the interviewing skills within the police force to help gain the best information from victims who are children or who may have learning difficulties, while ensuring they feel safe when sharing information.

The Cumbria force work in partnership with Beaconside Primary School near Penrith and the Edington Centre for adults with learning difficulties in Penrith.

This gives officers the chance to have genuine conversations with people of all levels of learning difficulties and to help the officers develop their interview skills in a safe and familiar environment.

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, presented the qualified officers with their certificates and said: “Always putting victims first is one of the key priorities of the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, and that includes enhancing services for vulnerable victims and ensuring that we, and partner agencies, meet the standards of the national Code of Practice for Victims of Crime.”

“It’s so important that all victims feel safe and secure when speaking to the police – if we can put victims at ease the police will be able to get the most valuable information from them.

Crime Trainer, Paul Scougal said: “Safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults whilst having the ability to bring offenders to justice is what this course is all about."