When Birmingham, Al. police officers were called to break up a game of soccer played by neighbourhood kids, they decided to join in on the fun instead.
According to Burke, the children, aged six to 10, live in an impoverished neighbourhood without a playground. The children were playing in the parking lot of a tractor company, whose workers do not mind having their lot used as a soccer pitch after office hours.
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“That area, there isn’t much out there for them to do,” Burke told local news site Alabama.com. “There are a lot of burned-out buildings and I’d rather them be playing soccer in a parking lot than playing in a burned-out building.”
Burke posted a video of the impromptu soccer match on Facebook with the caption:
“Please stop calling the police telling us to tell children to stop playing outside. This will be the result every time.”
Since the video was recorded, the officers said they have been making efforts to drop by the kids’ soccer matches during their breaks on a daily basis. They are also asking the community at large for sports gear donations to ensure the children are safer while they play.
In the video, Burke says to the camera, “That, my friends, is community policing at its finest. Getting our butts handed to us by a group of little kids playing soccer.”
Burke said he and his fellow officers want the children to perceive police as friendly and helpful rather than being scared of them.
“It would be great if people see us as people who are there to help you. We want your kids to run to us, not away from us,” he said.