A female police officer has been hailed a “hero” after footage went viral of her giving a brutal dressing-down to an alleged thief mouthing off in the back of a paddy wagon.
Footage of the heated interaction, which took place on Wednesday in Cessnock, NSW, earlier this week, was shared to Facebook by a neighbour who witnessed the arrest.
In the clip, the officer is heard saying: “You’re the one that stole sh*t, you’re the one with the warrant, you’re the one in the dog box, OK?”
“Whoopty f***ing doo,” the arrested man exclaims, before the officer claps back with: “whoopty doo, stop being a f***wit”.
It’s unclear what the man says next but the cop is quick to respond with: “at least I’ve got a job”.
More expletives can then be heard from the man sitting in the back of the police car.
“What? Stealing sh*t, is that your job?” the officer interjects before the video cuts off.
The clip was picked up on Reddit and Facebook community pages, where viewers largely praised the officer for her “no-nonsense” interaction with the man.
“I think Australians need a little more of this tough love rather than the cuddles and cotton wool that everybody expects these days,” wrote one man.
“Say it how it is! It’s how it should be, none of this walking on egg shells around people because they might get offended. Good on her,” agreed another.
Some viewers even hailed the woman a “hero” and “absolute legend”.
However, a few were critical of her “unprofessional” behaviour.
One woman said she hoped the officer copped a fine for swearing in public, but others quickly came to the officer’s defence.
“I’ll pay her fine if she does, what a champion,” one said.
NSW Police said they were aware of the footage and conducting enquiries.
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In a statement, police said officers were called to Hunter Street in relation to an alleged stealing offence.
“Police spoke with and arrested a 31-year-old man for an outstanding arrest warrant for property offences,” police said.
“He remains remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Cessnock Local Court on Wednesday March 23.”
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