London - A regional police chief in Britain has stirred controversy by saying she needs more staff and resources to cope with the "pressures" caused by an influx of migrant workers from Eastern Europe. Julie Spence, chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, in south- east England, said a dramatic change in the make-up of the population in the county had presented her officers with new challenges.
Since 2004, more than 80,000 East Europeans have registered to work in that part of Britain, where they work mostly in agriculture and the food industry.
Spence reported that drink-drive offences recorded over the past year showed a sharp increase in arrests of foreigners, including from Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Portugal.
She said police officers in her county were now dealing with close to 100 languages without having the skills, and having to fork out 800,000 pounds (1.6 million dollars) for translation bills.
Spence spoke of the emergence of an "international dimension" to crimes including cannabis production, human trafficking and credit card fraud.
"They don't necessarily come here to commit crime but they need to be told what they can and can't do," said Spence in a BBC interview.
"It's also important that those we welcome to Britain understand our traditions, learn English and use our language," she added.
The government's Immigration Minister, Liam Byrne said it was "vital" to consider the social impact of immigration when making migration decisions.
However, a spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Spence's views needed to be put into context.
"If you look at what's happening to total crime in Cambridgeshire, it's been on a clear downward trend," said the spokesman.
