Singing cop joins in with British street buskers

On June 1, police constable Ian Northcott picked up a busker's acoustic guitar on Birmingham's New Street and starting playing.

"I've got to know a few of the city's buskers and have joined them before to play," Northcott told the Daily Mail. "We are always looking for ways to break down barriers between the police and the public and this was certainly one of them."

Northcott's impromptu crowd-pleasing performance of Oasis' "Wonderwall" has gone viral.

According to Ben Chamber, the YouTube uploader, Northcott "is heavily involved in interacting with the public to promote a positive police presence, even starting the "Socks and Chocs" initiative to help the homeless."

"I wasn't really busking — I was playing guitar and singing for 5 minutes out of my day," Northcott wrote on YouTube. "Ben, well done with the amount of hits you are getting here. It has helped loads with my Socks and Chocs for the homeless publicity so many thanks."

"It was such a lovely day, everyone seemed happy, it just felt such a natural thing to do," Northcott said.

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

Chief Superintendent Clive Burgess, of Birmingham West and Central Police, praised Northcott for the impromptu gig:

"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."

Listen to Northcott's original tune, "Pleasure," written for his "Socks and Chocs" initiative that provides the basic comforts of home to the homeless each Christmas, below.