All new police recruits in London must be fluent in one of 14 minority languages, including Turkish, the Metropolitan Police says. In a move designed to bring officers closer to the communities they serve, candidates applying to be police constables will be tested in a second language.
In addition to Turkish, the chosen languages are Arabic, Bengali, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Spanish, as well as the Sri Lankan dialect of Sinhala and Yoruba, which is spoken in Nigeria.
Candidates will be tested on listening to and speaking their chosen second language through a short telephone interview.
The move comes after it became mandatory for new Metropolitan police officers to live within London’s borders.
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Sir Bernard Hogan Howe said: “I am committed to providing a police service which looks and feels more like London,” said Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Met police commissioner.
“We know that almost 300 languages are spoken in the capital. We need to recruit and deploy officers with second languages in areas where those languages are spoken.
“I believe it will help boost confidence, help to solve crime more effectively and support victims and witnesses.”
For more information and to apply visit metpolicecareers.co.uk.