POLICE officers from across Lancashire are preparing to help in the massive relief operation following the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Force bosses are compiling a list of every officer's availability to fly to south east Asia to help search for missing people and retrieve bodies.

Every officer trained in a specialist skill is being asked if they have a valid passport and whether they could fly out, if required, as part of a national police initiative.

Today Professor Dr John Ashton, North West regional director of public health, urged local authorities to step up their help and twin with areas that have been left devastated by the tidal wave.

Lancashire Police incident manager Insp Simon Atkinson said although it was not yet known whether any East Lancashire officers would be flown out, a list was being prepared of those likely to go if needed.

He said: "The message has been sent out to all divisions asking for the availability and status of certain specialist officers including forensic officers, crime scene managers, search-trained and body recovery officers.

"We do not yet know if our officers will be required but it is considered prudent to get forces to start thinking about the things needed in this event.

"All our officers would be glad to go out and help, like I'm sure most members of the public would. It is an awful situation and they are likely to need people out there with specialist skills."

The UK police response is being co-ordinated by the Police National Co-ordination Centre in London, which oversees police action in times of national and international crisis where officers across the country are needed to work together.

Run by the Home Office, the PNICC is usually called into action during riots or national crisis, such as the petrol strike.

Insp Atkinson added: "There are 3,500 officers in the force across six divisions. I don't yet know how many are specially trained but each division has to be self-sufficient so would usually have some specialist officers in each area."

Dr Ashton urged authorities to follow the advice of former US President Bill Clinton and added: "When you hear fishermen who have lost their boats say that it will take them a year to save enough money just to replace their nets, we must ensure that our reactions to this terrible global catastrophe are sustainable into the future.

"The generous response of the British public has been overwhelming in its magnitude, putting many Governments to shame. However, one way of making this response sustainable would be for councils to twin with specific communities that desperately need our help.

"There would be an onus on our local authorities to keep in touch with their Indian Ocean twins throughout the recovery period, to ensure that vital resources are provided as and when needed."