Police officers in the UK are being targeted as a part of a recruitment drive by Australian law enforcement, leading to fears of a 'drain' on Police Scotland. Western Australia Police Force has launched a campaign specifically looking for applicants from the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
Candidates will be offered support in obtaining Australian citizenship, which can be otherwise difficult to acquire for due to the country's stringent immigration system. The Australian force's police commissioner, Col Blanch, said he is searching for "skilled, experienced constables to work on the frontline to help us cover the biggest policing jurisdiction in the world".
A Scottish Police Federation representative told the justice and social affairs magazine, 1919, that Scottish officers had been enticed to make the move half way across the world in the past. He said: "We lost some really good officers in the past to Down Under.
