Shropshire Star

Busking on the beat - Singing policeman stops shoppers in tracks

He's a beat bobby with a difference – but Pc Ian Northcott stopped shoppers in their tracks when he started belting out Oasis hit Wonderwall outside a busy shopping centre.

Published
On the beat – Pc Ian Northcott joins buskers to belt out Wonderwall as shoppers look on

The West Midlands officer joined two buskers for a sing-a-long – and has now attracted thousands of hits on YouTube after passers-by caught him singing on film.

Pc Northcott was patrolling Birmingham city centre when he took the opportunity for a bit of light-hearted fun in New Street.

He said: "It was such a lovely day, everyone seemed happy, it just felt such a natural thing to do We are always looking for ways to break down barriers between the police and the public and this was one of them."

"It's clear that many people, be they in the crowd at the time or watching on social media, enjoyed the performance and I'm sure the majority will agree that this really encapsulates the true spirit of neighbourhood policing."

Today Ch Supt Clive Burgess, of Birmingham West and Central Police, praised Pc Northcott for his impromptu performance.

He said: "Whilst neighbourhood policing is primarily about being highly visible in order to deter and detect crime, another key part of the job is to interact with the public and to provide a friendly, reassuring presence.

Among those to have viewed the clip is Gareth Helliwell who commented on the site: "British policing at its best, you won't see that anywhere else in Europe. Fair play to him."

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