Lincolnshire Police officers have come under fire after footage posted to the force’s social media account showed them dancing the Macarena at the city’s Pride festival. MailOnline has more.
Locals have reacted with fury after multiple posts were made showing on-duty officers having fun on the force’s social media accounts from the festival, including the video of officers dancing.
Residents have criticised the force’s coverage, asking why officers were spending time at the festival instead of fighting crime on the streets.
But Chief Constable Chris Haward has hit back at critics, saying officers were present to ensure everyone enjoys a “safe” Pride.
He added he “expected” his officers to engage with the community and “join in, even dance” – as long as it did not distract from their duties.
A dispersal order had to be issued jut a couple of hours later after a number of large fights in the city.
The footage shows dozens of people in colourful clothing, holding LGBTQ+ flags, enjoying themselves at the festival while loud music plays in the background.
Around 11 people can be seen dancing along to the Macarena in the video, four of whom are fully uniformed police officers.
Many others stand around watching the officers.
The force appears to have posted photos and videos online in order to demonstrate their engagement in the community – but their decision backfired after backlash quickly emerged across social media.
Just two to three hours after the video was shared on social media, police issued a different tweet announcing a dispersal order had been put in place across the city centre after a number of large fights in the previous 24 hours.
Many on social media pointed to the dancing officers and questioned why they were not fighting crime instead of dancing at the festival.
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