Frontline officers will be among those receiving the training

Lothian and Borders Police said its series of two-hour seminars would be aimed at improving understanding.

The force said an example of variation was in the area of knife crime. Knife carrying has been banned in Scotland but remains legal in Poland.

It has been estimated several thousand Poles live in the service area.

Leaflets, which include important information such as driving legislation, have also been produced.

We are keen to assist people coming into the force area with information that will help them understand our laws and the role of the police Sgt Simon Bradshaw

Training would focus on frontline staff including police officers, station assistants, custody staff and traffic wardens, the force said.

Inspector Moore McCartney, of the diversity unit, conceded that relations with the Polish community had "not been strong" but this was being addressed.

He said: "The training has been designed in acknowledgement of the considerable influx of Polish nationals to our force area.

"There are some very significant areas that differ and come as quite a surprise to our staff.

'Community centres'

"In Poland it is not an offence to leave quite young children home alone. In this country that would be viewed as a child protection issue and parents could face being charged."

Mr Moore added: "Hopefully the links we are making with Polish people and our attempts to improve our understanding of their needs will strengthen the relationship between police and the Polish community."

Sgt Simon Bradshaw, of the road policing unit, said: "Our department has had thousands of leaflets about motoring legislation translated into Polish and these have been distributed to community centres, job centres, educational establishments and given to Polish people that police come into contact with.