Police chiefs are advertising for people who speak one of the world's most difficult languages to walk the beat in areas where a high proportion of Polish people are living.

Sussex Police have launched a recruitment drive for Polish speakers to work as police community support officers (PCSOs).

They will work in areas where there is a high proportion of Polish residents, including Brighton, Crawley, Bognor and Eastbourne.

Polish does not have to be their native tongue as long as candidates have a grasp of the language.

It is hoped having more Polish speakers in the force will break down language barriers and help strengthen community links.

Poles account for 3,600 of the 13,400 migrant workers to arrive in Sussex during the past year.

Brighton has a Polish population of about 5,000 and Arun about 4,000.

A police spokesman said: "We try to serve all communities across Sussex.

"We've identified the Polish speaking community as one that is hard to reach.

"We would like to point out that it is not because Polish speakers pose a particular problem with the police. It is simply that we think having these language skills are key to delivering neighbourhood policing by engaging with the Polish communities.

"We're not excluding non- Polish speakers but would welcome applications from anyone who does speak the language."

This is the first time police bosses have targeted a particular language group.

Last year officers in Littlehampton and Eastbourne paved the way for better engagement with the Polish community by signing up for evening classes in Polish.

They also published community leaflets in English and Polish and began liaising with Catholic churches.

Eastbourne-based PCSO Stephanie Smith recently completed an eight-week Polish course. She said: "I learned the basics but it's a very difficult language.

"I think the police have realised it's too much for officers to learn and it's easier to recruit officers who already speak the language.

"Polish people are surprised when I say hello and good morning to them. It breaks the barriers down a little bit. We've got so many different nationalities living in Eastbourne I think I need to learn more languages.

"I suppose this language recruitment drive could be the first of many." For more information about becoming a PCSO, visit www.sussex.police.uk