Police translation £900 per day

Lincolnshire Police force has been spending more than £300,000 a year on translation services covering 49 different languages.

The force must provide translation services to anyone arrested or questioned who either cannot speak or needs helping understanding English.

Some of the languages services offered include Bulgarian and Vietnamese.

Lincolnshire Police spokesman Stuart Binn said translating for suspects and witnesses was a vital service.

Duty of care

He said some costs could be claimed back in some cases, such as immigration inquiries.

Translations have cost the force more than £190,000 since April this year - an average of £900 a day.

The force spent a total of £317,421 between April 2007 and 2008.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust spent £6,200 on translation in the same period.

"We have a duty of care to victims and witnesses and to ensure that alleged offenders receive fair treatment under the criminal justice system - this can only be achieved through clear communication," a police spokesman said.

"Lincolnshire Police is also conscious of the financial implications of interpretation services, and is determined to provide these in the most cost effective way possible."