The project addresses the problem of a lack of skills and unfamiliarity with the principles of dealing with people with intellectual disabilities among police officers from the Lubelskie Voivodeship. Non-normative behaviour is often not recognised by the police as a disability and detained persons do not receive support adequate to their disability-related needs. They often do not understand criminal proceedings and are unable to fully participate in them, which reduces their chances of a fair trial. A few years ago, there was a high-profile case in Poland involving a person with infantile cerebral palsy who was sentenced to restriction of liberty and social work for riding a bus without a valid ticket. This example shows how important it is to recognise the disability and to conduct the hearing correctly. Unfortunately, this topic is not included in the offer of basic police training.

As part of the project, project promoter organised 8 online meetings for 40police officers. The meetings dealt with recognising and dealing with persons with disabilities and were conducted by specialists in areas such as psychology, special education, alternative communication, psychiatry, law and addiction therapy. Legal training was devoted to people with disabilities in the international protection system and in the Polish legal system. On the basis of surveys monitoring the state of knowledge and practices applicable by the police in relation to persons with disabilities, a report with recommendations was created and submitted to the Police in Lublin. The recommendations included the need to include the subject of disability in compulsory training and to employ experts at police stations.

40 people working in the Police in the Lubelskie Voivodeship benefited directly form the project. They developed their skills in recognising different disabilities, the principles of dealing with and talking to people with disabilities, and possible ways of providing assistance. In addition, a very important result of the project is establishment of cooperation between the project promotors and the Police in Lublin. The project will primarily benefit people with various disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, as their needs and procedural rights will be taken into account to a greater extent by Lublin law enforcement agencies.