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Anchor Lisa Mullins has news of a British policeman who’s moonlighting as a stand-up comedian at the Edinburgh Festival.

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LISA MULLINS: An encounter with the police isn’t normally a laughing matter. Well it is in Edinburgh, Scotland right now. A British policeman is performing his standup comedy routine at the annual Edinburgh Festival. Sergeant Alfie Moore calls his show The Laughter Police.

ALFIE MOORE: It’s a lot to do with my views on political correctness both in society and in the police force. And I think an example of that is a poster shows me in a Punch and Judy booth. I’m about to strike punch with a [PH] trunction which would have been fine 100 years ago. And now of course I’ve been more inclined to carry out the risk assessment, call him Mr. Punchinello and record his ethnicity.

MULLINS: Sergeant Moore says the image of British police is too stuffy and unpopular. He finds that his show helps change the image.

MOORE: I play some very rough venues sometimes. I can remember doing a gig in Manchester in sort of a cellar of a bar and the compeer announced that I was a serving police officer and instead of clapping and cheering the whole room was booing. And I thought well how am I going to get out of here in one piece? And afterwards – it went very well – and afterwards a really rough looking young man came up to me and said you know I’ve always hated the police. I’ve been to prison. Despise them. But I really love what you’re trying to do. He shook my hand. And we’d never reach members of the community such as that gentleman.

MULLINS: That’s British comedian and policeman Alfie Moore.

[MUSIC]

MULLINS: This is PRI.

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