The New South Wales Police Force has apologised for a TikTok video posted to its account on Sunday which shows two officers appearing to 'stomp' on a camera with their boot.
The state's police force is known to share light videos or memes, often related to abiding by the law.
The TikTok transition used in the video in question is one that has been popularised by other users, usually showing a person before and after dressing up. But the take by the NSW Police was soon lambasted by online users who told them to "read the room".
Under the now-deleted video, the NSW Police recognised the concerns raised online and apologised.
"We’d like to acknowledge concerns raised by members of the community and apologise to anyone who may have been offended by the transition we used," they said.
The apology follows a flurry of comments on TikTok and other social media channels which said the video was 'tone deaf' and 'in poor taste'.
"Wow, talk about missing the mark!" one user wrote under the video.
"Isn't the police kicking something on the ground just a bad look in general... how tone deaf can they be," wrote another.
"Your PR department needs to review these before you post," said another.
In early June, 2020, a video of a NSW Police officer performing a 'leg-sweep' during the arrest of an Indigenous teenager in Sydney went viral.
The incident happened around the time of large scale protests in the US following the death of George Floyd, who died after a US police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
"We're all aware of incidents that have taken place in the United States over the past week and we're aware of the sensitivities around what's occurring overseas," NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said following the incident in Sydney.
"Am I concerned about what I'm seeing in the footage? Absolutely. But I'm equally concerned about others who may use the footage to inflame it and turn it into something it's not."
