British police imports on the beat in New Zealand are being enticed home with the promise of £10,000 ($NZ26,910) in an advertising campaign appealing to their nostalgia.
The Leicestershire police force has begun a recruiting drive appealing to officers' memories of English tea, Marks & Spencer underwear and British accents.
Chief Superintendent Geoff Feavyour said the Leicestershire force was looking for only 15 officers, and after press coverage in Britain and Australia had received nine expressions of interest.
Police figures show the New Zealand force has recruited 330 former British officers since July 2006.
Chief Supt Feavyour said the Leicestershire force was relatively small, with 2000 officers, but it would be growing by 100 this year to deal with gangs and child-abuse investigations.
He said it would be possible to fill the positions with young recruits but they would be "brand-new kids on the block" and the force wanted a mix of experience and youth.
Chief Supt Feavyour said Leicestershire had attracted officers from all over Britain but had also decided to appeal to former British police working in New Zealand and Australia.
"We're thinking we've got a potential market of 1000 ex-UK police officers in Australia and New Zealand."
The advertising campaign, which has been run in Adelaide, uses the English weather among other things to entice British police back.
"That's only because I'm pretty odd and I really don't like hot weather," Chief Supt Feavyour said.
"Some of us are very pasty-looking and can't spend too much time in the sun."
Chief Supt Feavyour said that in Australia there had been a "bit of a whingeing Poms go home" angle to some of the reporting - but others had offered to keep the British officers and send the Australians instead.
He said the advertising campaign was "tongue in cheek".
New Zealand police marketing manager for recruitment James Whittaker said there were no plans to hit back with a similar New Zealand campaign in Britain.
He said the New Zealand police were not concerned by the Leicestershire recruiting drive.
"The [British] cops I've spoken to weren't even aware of it," Mr Whittaker said.
"But it's indicative of the recruitment marketplace."
He said the police had not had to entice British recruits with money or any other sweetener. The only costs to police of recruiting in Britain had been to send over some examiners to check over applicants.
He said British officers interested in joining the New Zealand Police had to go through an academic and physical test, the same as New Zealand recruits.
