Firearms police criticised after posting comedy clip

West Midlands firearms police have been criticised after posting a clip from comedy Hot Fuzz on their official Twitter account as a thank you to followers.

The film clip, which shows two uniformed policemen diving for cover while blasting away with handguns, is taken from the 2007 Simon Pegg movie.

It comes at a time when there has been a string of recent shootings and stabbings in and around Birmingham and the Black Country.

The Tweet was posted by the West Midlands Police Firearms Operation Unit on Sunday:

People have reacted with disbelief on Twitter, criticising the video clip as “foolish” and the unit portraying themselves as “macho bang-bang.”

Robert Ward tweeted:

Another Twitter user, using the name TTID, tweeted: “Don’t think that is an appropriate homage. Are your lot laughing?”

West Midlands Police Chief Inspector Kerry Blakeman said:

Last month West Midlands Chief Constable David Thompson described the recent violent incidents across Birmingham and the Black Country as “terrible” and said his officers were determined to tackle what had become a very “serious and complex issue.”