Guernsey police ridiculed for recruitment advert featuring cars chases and armed raids despite low crime rate

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Guernsey Police has been ridiculed for making a recruitment video filled with tasers, guns and an explosion, which social media users have compared to the satirical film Hot Fuzz.

In an advert intended to help recruit constables to the force, police are shown arming themselves with guns and tasers and taking part in fast car and motorbike chases.

The high-octane video ends with the words “redefine your usual”.

The scenes from the advert contrast starkly with the Guernsey Police’s annual report from 2019, which shows that officers only used firearms on one occasion and a taser twice.

“A firearm was discharged on 1 occasion, for the dispatch of a dangerous dog,” reads one sentence in the report.

On social media, people poked fun at the video which seemed at odds with quiet island life.

One Twitter user wrote: “I thought Guernsey was all about placid cows and gentle beaches, but having watched the Guernsey Police recruitment advert I now appreciate the place is more akin to South-Central Los Angeles during a long hot angry summer.”

Others expressed their disappointment at the violence displayed in the advert, with one commentator writing: “How can anybody, with a clear conscience, in the @GuernseyPolice think that this is what they are supposed to do to serve and protect the citizens of Guernsey?”

A local politician praised the video, according to the local press.

Home Affairs president Mary Lower said: “This excellent video demonstrates just a fraction of the opportunities within the force giving a varied and exciting career.”

The advert has now been taken down by Guernsey Police after the attention it had received.

However, applicants are still encouraged to apply on the States of Guernsey website and have until 4 September to do so.

The position of police constable pays between £32,230 and £45,327 excluding allowances.