Home(sick) & Away? - UK Force Poaches Cops Down Under

For years UK police forces have seen officers emigrate to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Now a UK police force is turning the tables on their antipodean colleagues and advertising directly for them to return to the UK - and receive a £10,000 bounty.

British police officers have always been in high demand overseas, and are often afforded 'skilled worker' immigration status meaning their immigration passage is smoothed and they can take up residence and work in countries like Australia with active help from the Australian authorities. Australian figures show that former British police officers make up almost one in 11 of the force in Western Australia, with 480 UK Officers among its 5500 strong police force.

Now a Midlands force is fighting back. Fed up with having their officers set off for sunnier climates after having been poached by the Australian police, Leicestershire police is running an advertising campaign entitled "Homesick & Away?" aimed at encouraging UK trained police officers to return to Britain to work in the county.

People may wonder why anyone would want to leave the blistering heat and relaxed lifestyle of Australia, but research has shown that moving away from the 'green and pleasant land' has its drawbacks. Of things missed by emigrants, the top ten was:

1. The Sunday Roast
2. Cadbury's Chocolate
3. English Tea
4. Marks & Spencer Underwear
5. Football Banter (Who really understands Aussie rules?)
6. Budget Holidays in Europe
7. A Traditionally Festive White Christmas
8. Real Ale
9. The British Accent
10. Marmite

Another reason seems to be their love-lives. Mark Wickenden from Uniform Dating, an online dating site for the emergency services, says that the Australian members are often ex UK police officers or nurses, and that they use the site to form relationships in the UK before returning. 'Many of the reasons they cite are to do with the different attitudes towards emergency service personnel in Australia'. One police member, who has since returned to the UK and married a nurse, said 'In the UK, we all have a laugh together and go to 999 parties - in Australia things are a little less fun'.

Sgt Ed Des-Chanelle, who has returned to Leicestershire after 18 months in New Zealand has said, "It was funny how whenever someone visited from the UK, we'd ask them to bring all the things we missed the most - it was always a shame they couldn't have brought the whole family!"

Chief Superintendent Geoff Feavyour of Leicestershire Constabulary said, "Often when people relocate they feel homesick and want to move back, but due to financial constraints they are not able to do so. Some people find the prospect more comfortable when they are offered assistance in returning to the UK. We are offering a relocation package of up to £10,000 to put towards the expense of relocating. In return we get a fully trained police officer ready to go, and we think that is good value. We are also drawn to the irony of turning the tables on our antipodean colleagues"