Want to Join the British Police Force? You’ll Need to Learn Yoruba or 1 of 13 Other Stipulated Languages

Has it always been your dream to join the British police force? If so, you will need to be able to speak Yoruba, or one of other thirteen languages, as specified by the Metropolitan Police.

According to Daily Mail, the rationale behind the new rule is that authorities want to bolster the number of officers able to speak and understand 14 languages which are widely used across London.

Here is the official announcement, as well as the list of languages:

However, the new mandate that aspiring police officers must be bilingual has sparked widespread criticism across the country.

For instance, retired Met Police officer Chris Hobbs said: “Won’t this also adversely affect the recruitment of guys and girls from the black community whom we would like to see more of?”

The British Twittersphere also made their voice heard. Here are some messages they tweeted:

However, authorities have noted that the language requirement mandate is just for a 1-month trial, and after its efficacy has been reviewed, it will be decided whether or not to make the law permanent.