MORE than 246,000 people have joined a Facebook group supporting officers who used a riot shield to go sledging.

Thames Valley Police officers were caught on camera tobogganing at Boars Hill, Oxford, when the county was covered with snow earlier this month.

The officers stopped in their police van at a field beside the Wootton road to speak to people playing in the snow, then decided to use a riot shield as a sledge – but got a ticking-off from their bosses.

The 41-second video shows colleagues capturing footage on their mobile phones.

Since then the clip, which was posted on the website YouTube by a member of the public, has been an Internet sensation.

Thousands of people have joined the group on the social- networking site — ‘The Policeman who used his riot sheild (sic) as a sledge is a genius!’ — to back the antics of the boys in blue.

The misspelled group was created by James Keene, 15, of Harwell, near Didcot.

The clip also produced a big reaction on our website, oxfordmail.co.uk, where more than 200 people have posted comments.

Jeggins87, from Oxford, commented on our site: “Oh its just a bit of fun! Lighten up!”

James, a St Birinus School pupil studying for his GCSEs, said: “I laughed when I first saw the clip, I thought it shows the human face of the police and not just someone who wants to arrest you.

“I honestly didn’t think it was going to get this big, in the first 20 minutes I had 100 people and at the end of the first day it had about 19,000.

“I didn’t expect to get that many.

“I think people think it’s good – it’s on YouTube and it’s something different. It’s great to see the police acting out of the ordinary.

“Lots of people were complaining it was a waste of taxpayers money but it’s really not.

“Just think what the police would have had to do to get that sort of respect.”

His mother Roz added: “It’s pretty amazing the way the site grew in a couple of days.

“It shows the power of the Internet.”

Oxford area commander Supt Andy Murray said the officers had been warned about using police equipment to go sledging while on duty.

Last night a spokesman for Thames Valley Police declined to comment on the Facebook group.

But Chief Constable Sara Thornton posted a statement on the group’s wall.

She said: “There’s been lots of interest in our officers sledging.

“While I cannot condone the use of police riot shields, I assure you we have not been heavy on those concerned.

“I’ve received an email from the father of three children who said they were mixing well and provided deterrence to the slightly rowdier youths.

“I think it shows that those of us who wear a uniform are quite human.”