Around one million Poles visited Croatia for their holidays last year, while 258,000 chose Bulgaria for their summer break. The soaring figures have seen Croatian and Bulgarian police invite Polish officers over in a bid to increase safety, support local officers, and smoothen relations.

Currently serving in Bulgaria, Staff Sergeant Jakub Sira from Katowice said: “We have many tasks but the main one involves cooperating with local police to help Poles - though not only - in the event they are the victim of a crime, or if they commit one themselves. Unfortunately, those incidents do happen.”

Poles are eager to travel abroad. Polish police officers, who have undertaken international cooperation in Croatia and Bulgaria, follow their compatriots. They help Polish tourists in exceptionally stressful situations, such as when documents are lost, in a collision or theft.

Sergeant Radosław Artwik, temporarily working in Croatia, said: “We patrol the streets or the main roads, as well as places that attract large numbers of Polish tourists such as beaches and shopping centers. We try and act in a preventative manner but also cooperate with the Croatian police.”

Beach theft is one particular problem, with many Poles relaxing their guard while by the seaside. However, Polish cops say that they’ve also found themselves helping with lost documents and suchlike.

In terms of crimes committed by Poles themselves, Sira says that road violations are the most common cause of trouble. However, while Poles have earned an unlikely reputation as being sensible drivers abroad, Sira cites parking infractions and drink-driving as one of the more frequent issues.

In the event of trouble, Polish uniformed officers are available 24-hours a day and can be contacted via numbers listed on the Polish Embassy website in both Croatia and Bulgaria.