'Fake interpreters will be dealt with' warns police chief after woman caught out for fraud
Leicestershire's Chief Constable has warned that criminals who pretend to be interpreters will be caught.
Simon Cole, who leads on Interpreter Services in the UK, has announced a clamp down on the fraudsters saying "they will not be tolerated."
Just recently, a 34-year-old woman, from Wakefield, was cautioned and made to complete a rehabilitation course after she admitted fraud by representation.
According to West Yorkshire Police, she presented a fake document in an attempt to be registered as an interpreter.
The woman had applied to be an interpreter and when asked to provide proof of her qualifications, she gave a certificate which was later identified as a fake by staff at thebigword, who carry out security checks for candidates.
Simon Cole, of Leicestershire Police said: "This sort of criminality will not be tolerated. Not only is it deceitful but it puts the criminal justice system at risk.
"We have worked with our approved language service providers to ensure forged and false documents can be identified effectively.
"This recent arrest highlights how effective that work has been. I am pleased that a potential risk to the police and criminal justice system from the fake interpreter has been prevented at the earliest opportunity.
"In particular I am grateful to thebigword staff and West Yorkshire Police for the way this matter has been speedily and efficiently dealt with."
Chief Operarting Officer at thebigword added: "We take both vetting and security very seriously at thebigword and have a rigorous onboarding procedure that makes certain each qualification we receive is thoroughly checked.
"This strict vetting process ensures that we have the highest quality professionals in our network of linguists, who can aid our clients such as the police."
The case comes after a number of changes were made to security protocols when a man illegally posed as an interpreter at City of London police, earning a total of £65,000. Mirwais Patang pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud, three counts of forgery and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud at Southwark Crown Court on February 12, 2021.
He was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, and must complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
