The New Zealand police do seem to know the most entertaining way to recruit people into their ranks — a quirky ad of a chase in which security persons are seen asking the public for help. Starring more than 70 staff members from the New Zealand police force, including those of Indian origin such as Detective Rajnesh Kumar, Sergeant Gurpreet Arora, Constable Deepak Kalra, Constable Lavleen Kaur, and Constable Prabhdeep Bajwa, the video has gone viral since its release on their Facebook page on Nov. 26.
“Police want to attract more women, Maori, Pacific Islanders, and people from all other ethnicities and backgrounds to better reflect the communities we serve,” Constable Zion Leaupepe was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.
A look at the people featured in the humorous video, who come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, makes it evident that they have succeeded in their objective. The video opens with the line: “We want New Zealand to be the safest country in the world, but we can’t do it without your help.”
Karen Jones, the Deputy Chief Executive of Public Affairs, told the media that since the primary audience is 18 to 24-year-olds, “it was a given we would use social media.” The video shows touches of the Kiwi humor, with scenes such as the New Zealand pipe band being asked to stop the music during the chase, a cat wearing a police vest, a dog being asked to drop the bag by an officer, a solo dance at a pedestrian crossing, and a police officer looking at a body builder and saying the recruits don’t have to be “that fit,” proving why the video touched a chord with social media users all over the world.
“At 9am today (November 26) there had been an 800 per cent increase in traffic to the New Cops website since the launch of the video. As well as this, 333 full profiles have been created by people interested in joining us,” Commissioner Bush said in a statement. The video, that clocks over two and a half minutes, has got over 3 million views so far.
