A police constable working in London has his main home in Dunedin, New Zealand, the British press reported on Wednesday.
Chris McKee is the most extreme example of a key worker in the British capital being unable to afford to live there.
While McKee’s bi-monthly, 20 000km commute is unusual, many police officers, firefighters and hospital personnel make use of flexible shift working to set up home a long way away.
Most live a few hours by car or train away from London, but an increasing number of them commute to southern Europe, where property prices and living costs are low and the weather is better.
Budget airlines flying frequently to obscure airports in these countries have facilitated the trend.
London police rules allow McKee (48) to work long hours for two months and then take the next two months off.
The officer, who earns 30 000 pounds a year and works in west London, told The Sun: ”It’s a long way to travel to work, but it’s worth it to give my family a standard of living we could only dream about in England. The value of my house would barely buy a two-bedroomed flat in London.”
In general, police officers in London can work seven 12-hour shifts in a row and then take a week off. Fire officers also work long shifts through the night, saving up time off.
McKee’s wife and five children, aged three to 18, are happy with their lifestyle, based around a five-bedroomed house with large grounds in a smart suburb of Dunedin.
”It is actually easier for me to do my job than it was when I lived in England. I used to take all the stress of my job home with me and it was hard to relax.
”Now I’m a lot more fun with the kids when I am in New Zealand and I can be totally focused on what I am doing at work,” the officer said, although he acknowledged missing his family while in London.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed to the Independent newspaper that other officers were working in London and living in another country, but could not say how many.
France and Spain were the favoured destinations for the commuting officers.
John O’ Connor, a former commander of the Flying Squad, said: ”It’s crazy. What happens if this officer is wanted to give evidence in court or deal with a public order situation? He can’t possibly be available to provide protection for the public if he is in New Zealand.”
London’s high cost of living is driving many native Britons abroad. A recent survey suggests around 25 000 people commute from abroad to work in Britain, most of them from Spain, Italy and France. – Sapa-DPA