Gael force: Police Scotland begins national rollout of multilingual logo
To a corporate logo which already featured an uncontroversial piece of Latin, Police Scotland has now added two words of Gaelic.
Following a re-brand which was unveiled yesterday, the national force’s badge now includes the words “Poileas Alba”.
It comes after the publication of a Gaelic language plan late last year, which was described as a “waste of time” by critics.
The logo already featured the force’s Latin motto “Semper Vigilo” which translates as “Always Vigilant”.
The new branding will gradually be rolled out across the force, although vehicles in N Division (Highlands and Islands), including the force helicopter, already carry it.
And officers who want to learn the language will be encouraged to do so.
Assistant Chief Constable Andrew Cowie said: “This is the latest step being taken by Police Scotland as we move towards full implementation of our Gaelic language plan.
“We are keen that Gaelicspeaking communities across the country are well served and ably represented by the national service.”
He added: “Upholding tradition and supporting native languages is important, as is making the service as accessible as possible for members of the population who use Gaelic.”
It is a statutory requirement for all Scottish public bodies to have a Gaelic language plan.
Police Scotland has previously described the plans are “cost neutral”.
David Boag, director of language planning at Bòrd na Gàidhlig, said: “The inclusion of Gaelic as a normal part of Police Scotland’s identity is a really significant milestone for the language.
“By including Gaelic as part of the logo renewal process, Police Scotland have contributed significantly to the Scotland-wide effort to raise the profile of Gaelic and have done so in as cost-effective a manner as possible.”
He added: “We very much welcome Police Scotland’s commitment to Gaelic generally and to increasing the visibility of the language across the communities that they serve.”