Polish immigrants apply to join Northern Ireland police

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)  has received almost 1,000 applications from Polish people in its latest recruitment campaign.

More than 7,700 Northern Ireland residents applied to the service following a recruitment drive last November. About 12% of these came from the Polish community.

An estimated 30,000 Poles are thought to have moved to Northern Ireland since Poland joined the EU in 2004.

The £22,000 starting salary for PSNI officers is about four times higher than a police officer's salary in Poland.

North Wales Police Service announced it was targeting more applicants from its Polish community in a recruitment drive last November. The service only received three applications from Poles, despite having an estimated 10,000 Polish people living in North Wales.

Poland has one of the highest unemployment rates in the European Union at 15.7%.