The Met has launched a recruitment drive for police officers who can speak a second language.
The force hopes the move will help it engage more effectively with the capital's diverse communities.
Recruits with the following languages are being sought as part of the month-long pilot scheme, launched on Monday (July 20): Yoruba (Nigeria), Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi, Italian, German, Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Sinhala (Sri Lanka) and Bengali.
It follows introduction last year of a London Residency criteria to ensure candidates have a strong link to the capital and an understanding of its diversity and cultures.
Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan Howe said: "I am committed to providing a police service which looks and feels more like London.
"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 http://www.met.police.uk/Page/Careers.
