A POLICE officer is passing on his hobby to other officers in the interests of improving race relations.

Inspector Harry Simpson likes nothing better than a challenge and so, five years ago, he decided to teach himself Hindi and Urdu with the help of an Asian pensioner.

Insp Simpson, who has been appointed Cleveland Police community safety officer in charge of race relations, is now teaching fellow officers conversational Hindi and Urdu; and is thought to be the first white police officer in Britain to do so.

He said: "It all started by accident. I had always been interested and was attracted by the challenge. I also thought it would be useful in my work.

"One Sunday morning, the television was on and the very first part of a ten-part language course; and I found myself drawn.''

He added: "I moved jobs to community safety officer, where one of my roles is race relations. It was an ideal opportunity to get stuck back into it.''

Although he is not fluent in the languages, the 47-year-old, from South Bank came up with the idea of teaching conversational phrases.

"I thought it useful to break down barriers,'' he said.

He has teamed up with Carole Thompson, a force trainer, who teaches a growing number of officer students about Asian culture and religious beliefs.

Insp Simpson said: "The intention is to teach staff general awareness of the Asian cultures and to teach basic conversational skills in Hindi and Urdu.

"Hopefully, this will add to the current good relations with the Asian ethnic community we have already established.''

Thirty two officers and support staff are willing students giving up two hours a week of their own time to learn the new skills