Fake UK police account trolls Americans online and their confusion is comedic gold

Showing bravery is undoubtedly a good thing, but only in situations that call for it. At times, we act impulsively out of emotions and fail to assess whether the circumstances are worthy of such a reaction. There is a thin line between courage and foolishness, especially in the age of the internet, where everything we see may not be real. The same happened with a lot of micro-bloggers on X when they mistook a spoof account for the British Police Force. Describing itself as the “England’s Smallest Police Farce,” Sandford Police—who goes by @Sandford_Police on X—brought the house down through its mischievous meme post about the newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

In the viral post, the so-called “Sanford Police” reacted to fake mugshots of Starmer showing him with Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves. The meme, with 8.7 million views, was originally shared by David Vance (@DVATW) on X. It was dubbed “distasteful” as it aimed at the ongoing controversy regarding the PM’s refusal to repeat his cabinet member’s vow not to raise taxes again, per Sky News. However, the police farce added its own hilarious twist to the political row, which later was misunderstood by many as an attempt to silence voices of dissent.

“Anyone liking or re-posting this tweet will be identified,” announced the impersonator account, sounding no less than any actual police force. Furthermore, the spoofers warned of strict action against those not complying with their public call. “We cannot, and will not, tolerate this kind of behavior,” they added while continuing to act like a law enforcement agency. Many people online, especially those unaware of the context and from other countries, including the United States, fell into the fray and started challenging the “censoring” tactic.

Among the countless reactions, @cyberman2468 made a bizarre request: “Are you serious? There are worse crimes out there, like, oh, let me see, Kia Starma for one. We British people pay you to do your job, arrest the prime minister, and protect us.” The so-called “Sanford Police” responded by saying they were always serious, sparking a laugh riot. When @Churchilll1964 shared a screenshot of Article 10 of the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 advocating free speech, the meme account presented its own theory on the law.

Acknowledging that Article 10 of the HRA protects opinions, the police farce remarked, “When you then voice those opinions in a public forum, you can commit an offense if against current laws and regulations.” The row escalated quickly as several others started DM-ing the meme poster, denouncing their call made to the public. @Sandford_Police shared one such message they had received, in which someone got triggered and started hurling abuses as well.

“You are the world’s most disgraced and disrespected police force. The laughingstock of the world. Nobody is afraid of you [expletive],” they wrote, challenging the police force to arrest them. When the meme account posted something random in Russian, another user messaged them, saying: “Shut up! Soviet Police.” They responded by admitting their guilt and said, “We have been exposed. Obviously, we are Russian.” This anonymity, coupled with no other accounts belonging to the law enforcement of such a secluded place, makes the police farce look authentic.