A NORTH Ayrshire charity is developing a personal safety course aimed specifically at people with learning disabilities.

The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety says it hopes its work will result in the UK's first qualified self-defence instructors who have Down's syndrome.

The Ardrossan-based organisation has been registered as a charity since 2013 and has been based in the former Barony St John's Church Hall, now the Barony St John Centre, since August 2016.

It received the funding from the People's Postcode Trust.

Charity founder Alan Bell said: "We will be working with members of Down's Syndrome Scotland to develop our new, empowering personal safety course and, along the way, we aim to train people with Down's syndrome up to become instructors, so they in turn can train other people with learning disabilities." 

It is estimated that there are approximately 4,500 people in Scotland who have Down's syndrome and more than 1.5 million people in the UK with learning disabilities.

The Scottish Centre for Personal Safety decided to develop this course after hearing that people with learning disabilities were “invisible” in Government crime statistics, even though there is widespread evidence of them being targeted in hate crime attacks.

Hate crimes targeted at people with learning disabilities included fraud, violence and taking over people’s property for the purposes of criminal activity, such as drug dealing or prostitution – a practise known as cuckooing.

According to Mencap, as many as nine out of 10 people with learning disabilities have been a victim of hate crime and/or harassment.

It can happen in public, such as on buses or trains, or some people can be targeted by people who abuse their trust in some way, such as stealing money or coercing them to take part in criminal acts.

A study by University of Leicester showed that one in four of those targeted because of their learning disabilities were more likely to report feeling suicidal as a result of their victimisation. 

Alan said: "Our course will not only empower individuals with learning disabilities, but also give them more confidence, and reduce their anxieties and fear of attack.

"I need to thank Down's Syndrome Scotland for agreeing to help our charity develop this course with their members and also many thanks to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery, without whom, this funding would not be possible."