UPDATE: Friday, January 11 8.40am - According to the latest viewing statistics, the #GangnamPoliceman video has been watched 152,000 times since Monday at 2pm - raising £9,400 so far.

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Dancing police officers are not a common sight in Falmouth’s Events Square.

But last week visitors to the landmark location could be forgiven for thinking they were on the set of a music video when a squad of bobbing bobbies jigged into sight.

 

ABOVE: Watch Sgt Watts and the ‘Gangnam Policemen’ (and women) in action.

Aiming to raise funds and awareness for a 12-year-old boy with a reoccurring brain tumour, the off-duty officers were led by Sergeant Gary Watts in recreating some of the infamous dance moves from 2012’s big pop smash Gangnam Style.

In its first 24 hours online, the Falmouth Gangnam Style video was watched nearly 50,000 times raising £3,000 towards the appeal for Joshua Wilson from Manchester.

Sgt Watts said the team were “absolutely overwhelmed” and thanked everyone who has donated, watched and shared the video so far, adding: “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.

"Would I do it again? No! Will there be a torrent of abuse from certain quarters for us having demeaned ourselves like this? Yes!”

But despite this, Sgt Watts does not regret doing the video.

“By showing the human side of police officers we can gain the trust and respect of the majority of the public,” he said. “Yes there will always be those that will moan but they are definitely in the minority.”

Alongside Gangnam Gary were PCs Barry Nicholas and Chris Vincent and PCSOs Ellie Grey and Chris Braddon. All officers were given permission to be in uniform for the dancing last Wednesday, Sgt Watts said.

Police volunteer Sam Biggs and Julian Commons from Cornwall Council’s anti-social behaviour team were also on hand to film scenes for the video.

The clip went live on video sharing website YouTube on Monday.

Scenes were filmed in Events Square, and feature a gaggle of willing volunteers.

BELOW: Falmouth firefighters were due to appear in the video, but the shoot had to be called off when they were called out on a shout.

Falmouth Packet:

Other locations visited by the Gangnam police officers on the day included Pendennis Point and Kimberley Park.

Sgt Watts vowed to make the Gangnam Style video last month if he reached 5,000 followers on social networking website Twitter before the end of 2012 – a feat he duly accomplished with a little help from the #GangnamPoliceman hashtag.

Gangnam Style is a pop music single by South Korean singer PSY.

The song’s video, which went live online in July and features the notorious dance moves copied by Falmouth police officers and numerous others, is also the first video in the history of the internet to be viewed more than a billion times.

For more information on Joshua Wilson, the young boy with a brain tumour who the video seeks to benefit, search for Joshuas Journey on Facebook.