Released: 19 April, 2007 Lothian and Borders Police widen doors to disabled access
Lothian and Borders Police has today announced that police stations across the region are displaying details of their access and facilities on www.directenquiries.com, The Nationwide Access Register.
With this initiative, the Lothian and Borders Police Force are not only providing a fantastic service to the public but also demonstrating their commitment to improved diversity through the provision of information aimed at disabled people, parents with pushchairs and others with specific access needs.
Members of the public can use the Register to identify which station provides the access to best suit their needs. Examples of the information on the register includes details of facilities for:
• People with mobility impairments
• People with hearing impairments
• Wheelchair users
• People with visual impairments
• People requiring disabled toilets and changing facilities
• Parents with pushchairs
In total the new service can provide information on around 30 different types of access facility and searches can be prioritised by 17 of these.
The Nationwide Access Register, which is completely free for users, is provided by Direct Enquiries at www.directenquiries.com. Direct Enquiries, which receives over 2.4 million hits per month, contains listings for many high street brands as well as thousands of independent shops and public buildings.
Lothian and Borders Police equal opportunities and diversity advisor, Tricia Cochrane said: “Lothian and Borders is a diverse region and it is vital that we meet the needs of as many people as possible.”
“By placing this information on Direct Enquiries we are providing a degree of choice that wasn’t previously available. Members of the public can now avoid the potential disappointment and frustration, which can develop from a lack of access, by visiting Direct Enquiries and identifying the station that best suits their requirements.”
Other forces to have joined the register include: The Metropolitan Police, City of London Police, Leicestershire Police and Bedfordshire Police.
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Notes to Editors
directenquiries.com, was developed as the Nationwide Disabled Access Register in 2002 in partnership with RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) and The Employers' Forum on Disability. During the past 12 months the information available has grown to include access for parents with pushchairs as well as the general public. This allowed directenquiries.com to rebrand as The Nationwide Access Register in January 2006.
Directenquiries.com is the only Nationwide Access Register specifically designed for companies to showcase their disabled access and other facilities. On average, directenquiries.com receives over 2.4 million hits each month from people looking for businesses, organisations and services with the disabled access they require. Registration is only £35 per year, per location, for which companies receive the following:
• Nationwide registration on directenquiries.com detailing company name, address and other contact details, including links to their website, should they have one
• Access to the Action Plan
• A “More Information” section, equivalent to five pages of A4, updateable on a daily basis. This allows businesses to include information on forthcoming additions or changes to their disabled access as well as useful information about their business in general
• Feedback facility providing customer comments and opinion
For users, directenquiries.com provides a full directory service for UK companies detailing the access and facilities available at those registered with directenquiries.com. The register currently includes disabled access information on leading high street names such as Boots, LloydsTSB, Argos, Gap, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Costa Coffee, Pizza Express, PC World and Waterstone’s as well as thousands of small and independent businesses. The disabled access information encompasses everything from parking, entrances, lifts, toilets, counter heights, wheelchair and pushchair access to staff assistance and auxiliary aids such as Braille, large print and induction loops.
For further information, images and interviews please contact us on 01344 360101 or e-mail press@directenquiries.com
www.directenquiries.com