Arabic classes for police in southern Turkey have launched as the country grapples with the large amount of Syrian refugees who sometimes face challenges because they do not speak Turkish.
Mersin University is providing the Arabic language classes for staff of the Mezitli Police Directorate in the province where more than 110,000 Syrians live. The first class was attended by 10 police officers. Officers learning Arabic will be better able to communicate with Syrians in criminal cases, passport registration proceedings and other police matters.
The number of Syrians in Turkey has exceeded 1.9 million. Only a small fraction of them live in the 25 refugee camps along the border that house 262,000 Syrians. The wealthier Syrians buy or rent houses in big cities while impoverished ones turn to begging, low-paying jobs and sometimes to crime to look after themselves.
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