BOBBY ON THE BEAT
Dad-of-two cop who danced with kids at One Love Manchester gig says he’s a ‘family man’ who just wanted ‘to put a smile on people’s faces’
A POLICE officer who was filmed dancing hand-in-hand with children at the One Love Manchester concert said he just wanted to “put a smile on people’s faces”.
PC Paul Taylor, from Darlington, was spotted busting a groove with kids at Sunday’s Ariana Grande benefit gig as Justin Bieber performed on stage.
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Paul, who has been an officer for 20 years and got home at 3.30am after working at the gig, revealed in an interview on his force’s page that the whole experience has been “amazing” and he “thoroughly enjoyed the day”.
Speaking in a short clip that was posted online yesterday, Paul said he had been drafted in to assist colleagues at Greater Manchester Police.
He said: “I was inside the concert when I was approached by two young girls, I believe they were sisters, probably aged about seven or eight years old.
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“They asked if they could have their photograph taken, I was more than happy to do that, they then came back and asked if I’d dance with them.”
Paul said his role is “all about engaging with members of the public”.
He added: “I’ve got two sons myself, albeit they’re older now, I’m a family man and I was more than happy to do that.
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“I would describe the whole experience as being amazing, thoroughly enjoyed the day, it’s not bad for a day’s work.
“Obviously, we were there to do a specific role but if I can put a smile on people’s faces I’m more than happy to do that and I hope I’ve achieved that.”
The video has racked up 86,000 views and more than 200 comments.
Caz OD commented: “What a genuine decent guy. Taking it all in his stride and even finding the funny side of it all.
"My husband pointed you out in the concert and we both chuckled thinking how it was nice to see such a lovely moment when the concert was to remember the tragic events in Manchester.
"You brought a smile to all those who watched you - well done x.”
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Ruby Kitchin added: “What a great fellow I know you were at work but that was you shining through as a dad doing what you would to make your boys happy and feeling safe keep up the good work and thank you.”
In a separate , Paul revealed his “phone hasn’t stopped ringing” since the heartwarming clip went viral.
He commented: “It was an amazing experience and it made such a change to have people coming up to us saying they were glad we were there and how reassured they felt.”
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A video shared on Twitter by showed Paul bopping with young girls as Justin Bieber performed to 50,000 fans in Old Trafford.
Mike Sullivan summed the heartwarming moment up as “British spirit captured in six seconds”.
While another Twitter user commented: “That sums up what’s good about Britain. An on-duty police officer happily dancing with kids, making them happy at a difficult time. Perfect.”
While Beth Powell said she was: “Completely in love with this man”.
Many users took the opportunity to praise cops, with one writing: “God bless our police.”
The Ariana Grande One Love Manchester concert went ahead in spite of the terror atrocity on London Bridge on Saturday night, when terrorists used a van to mow down pedestrians on the bridge at 50mph – killing seven.
Wearing stab-proof vests, the three men then fled the vehicle and began knifing people at random in Borough Market’s pubs and restaurants.
Regardless of the horrific attack, thousands turned out to enjoy the charity gig, which saw the likes of Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Take That and Coldplay perform.
Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons opened the charity concert with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of both massacres.
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