Dancing police officers who took time out to show off their Zumba skills have come under fire from people less than impressed with their fancy footwork.
Six officers joined in the Big Bang Bounce at Prestatyn Carnival in North Wales this weekend, to the delight of the crowd.
But after a video of their routine emerged online, critics said they should have been working.
Carly Ann wrote: ‘Fantastic, they won’t come round if your house is burgled, but can behave like prats. No wonder police have lost confidence of public. Probably come round because of this nasty tweet.’
Another person said: ‘No wonder you can never get a cop when you want one. They’re poncing about at carnivals. Sorry. Not cops. (Law enforcent officers ).’
Officers join zumba class at Prestatyn Carnival on Saturday – but while crowds were impressed the internet was not
Despite the complaints, the Latin-inspired workout dancing went down a storm on the day, on Sunday.
Instructor Lisa Malesa, who runs ‘Zumba with Lisa and Craig’ at Zumbodyz Fitness, was approached by the six officers as she was giving a demonstration at on Saturday.
Lisa, who at first thought they’d come to tell her she’d parked in the wrong place, said: ‘When we finished our song we spoke to them and they asked if it would be ok to join us for a song and we immediately agreed.’
Lisa chose to play the Big Bang Bounce Zumba tune as she thought the choreography would be ‘easy and simple but bags of fun’.
The officers learned a routine and wowed the crowds but critics asked why they were not working on cases instead
All six officers can be seen doing a pretty good job with it much to the delight of onlookers.
‘The result was absolutely brilliant and we haven’t stopped smiling watching the footage back,’ said Lisa.
‘A huge well done to North Wales Police, it’s not an easy thing to do and learning choreography can take weeks and they only had a few seconds.’
She added: ‘It was also wonderful to see them with their local community and having fun.’
Hundreds of people flocked to the carnival, which featured a grand parade, vocalists, bands, dancers, Morris Dancing and brass bands.
District Inspector Arwyn Jones stood up for her officers, insisting it is important for them to integrate with the community.
She said: ‘The officers, many of whom were specials and who were at the event anyway, took just a few minutes out of the day to join in the carnival fun with the community they serve. The response from the people of Prestatyn was really appreciated. Granted some of the dance moves left a bit to be desired, but the overwhelming response from the community was fantastic, with the majority of social media responses being positive.
‘I am keen for my team to engage with the community, particularly in supporting community events – this is a vital part of neighbourhood policing. The officers worked closely with the local council and those involved in the dancing were specifically assigned to the event for the day. There was no impact on the response to other areas of policing during the event.’