Roller-skating police officer goes viral

PC put skates on to show local children ‘how it’s really done’

Footage of a police officer roller-skating while on duty went viral on social media after it was posted on the Twitter page of his local constabulary.

Officer Demetrius Washington was seen skating on a ramp in Oaklands Recreational Ground in Birmingham while conducting a patrol in relation to recent robberies in the area.

Stechford Police posted the video of Mr Washington saying that, to engage with children at the local skate park, he “thought it would be good to dust the skates off and show them how it’s really done”.

Mr Washington’s behaviour was met with praise by many people online, with one user tweeting: “Go PC Washington, community engagement is so important. I hope you get to go down again.”

Another tweeted: “In a time when we struggle to connect with the young in society this kind of engagement can make all the difference.”

Some people suggested that the officer was wrong to roller-skate while on duty, with one man on Facebook writing: “Hate how cops always get praised for this, but if I popped off from work to do this, I’d get the sack”.

SWNS contributed to this report