Powitanie, powitanie, powitanie, co jest chodzenie u tutaj wtedy?*

Police in Bognor Regis are going Polish.

A Polish-speaking police community support officer is being sought.

Adverts for a person who has excellent multi-lingual skills in the eastern European language are being placed in local newspapers as well as being distributed in community group centres and similar places.

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The language skills have been identified as a key to delivering neighbourhood policing in a town where the eastern European population is believed to number some 6,000.

The PCSO will be based at Bognor's police station. The town currently has 13 English PSCOs working in four neighbourhood policing teams.

Polish shop owner Greg Bigaj welcomed the police's action. 'It's a good idea and I think it's necessary because there are a lot of us here,' he said.

'There are some Polish troublemakers, as well as English ones, and a representative of the Polish community in the police will mean better understanding in dealing with them.'

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Mr Bigaj (28), who opened the White Eagle delicatessen in Station Road last summer, said police officers occasionally called in to see everything was all right.

He came to Bognor in 1998 for five years before he moved to London to work in its ambulance service. He returned to Bognor to open the shop.

More of the multi-lingual officers are being sought for Eastbourne, Brighton and Crawley.

Angela Packebusch, Sussex Police's positive action recruitment manager, said the recruitment campaign supports the force's positive action initiative.

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This reflected the commitment of Sussex Police towards equality and diversity.

But she said the force was keen to hear from anyone who wanted to become a PCSO.

'I would like to stress this obviously doesn't exclude anyone who doesn't speak Polish from applying to become a PCSO,' she said.

'On the contrary, our recruitment window for PCSOs is currently open.

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'We welcome applications from people who can offer a variety of different skills and backgrounds.'

Details are available on the Sussex Police website.

n A public lecture is being held in Bognor next Monday about the impact of new immigration on West Sussex.

Professor Chris Gaine, of the University of Chichester, will present the key findings of his recent research into the subject.

His work is intended to reduce misunderstandings and myths about the immigrants.

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A statement from the University said: 'There is very strong evidence the immigrants are young, healthy workers who bring great benefits to the local area.'

The lecture will take place in the Assembly Hall at university's Bognor campus off Upper Bognor Road.

Entry is free. Doors will open at 5.30pm, when free parking will be available, and the lecture will start at 6.30pm.

Prof Gaine will answer questions from 7.30pm.

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