A POLICE community support officer believes he was unfairly turned down for a job as a constable because he is dyslexic.

Martin Whitehouse, 21, has taken the Devon and Cornwall force to tribunal because he believes he was discriminated against as a result of his condition.

Yesterday the hearing was told that Mr Whitehouse, who lives and works in Plymouth, would have got through to the second part of the interview process if it was not for a number of “minor” spelling mistakes on his application.

He told the tribunal that he understood the application had to be hand-written and all his own work when he submitted it in spring 2008. He did not realise there was an option to use a word processor with a spell checker and paste the copy on to the form.

Mr Whitehouse also felt the person handling his application should have been aware of the problems his dyslexia caused, and made allowances for them in his application.

He told the hearing: “I would expect that someone who had an understanding of my disability and an awareness of my dyslexia would have handled my application, and known that the mistakes I made were common for someone with my condition.”

He also complained that no action was taken on his request for equipment to help him do his current job for several weeks, despite the availability of external funding. He has now received a typing tutor, an advanced spell checker and earphones that exclude background noise. A palm-top computer is still outstanding because of technical compatibility issues.

His solicitor, John Mackenzie, a trustee of the British Dyslexia Association, told the tribunal the spelling mistakes in the application did not change the meaning of the text.

But Christopher Miller, the force’s recruitment and development manager, said it was crucial to have a minimum level of spelling and grammar among applicants, as evidence could link in to wider issues, including a murder trial in the most extreme case.

He said it was vital that written material stood up to the scrutiny of the courts.

In day-to-day policing, he said it was important that written orders such as fixed penalty notices were worded correctly, otherwise they could be overturned. He revealed that the force receives around 1,000 applications for around 150 available posts. Of those, around 250 get through to the second phase of the application process.

And he said the number of applicants would be much higher if the force did not restrict the number of forms it gives out, by limiting distribution to a single day and vetting callers who apply for a form on the phone. He said “thousands and thousands” would apply if the process was web-based.

Mr Miller, who personally dealt with Mr Whitehouse’s application, admitted he had no experience or training in dealing with dyslexia. But he said he had checked the form with colleagues and it did not meet the criteria to pass.

The tribunal continues today.