Police ask parents to stop telling their children 'If you don't behave the Policeman will take you away' as children need to be able to approach officers without fear

Police in County Derry have asked parents to stop telling their children 'If you don't behave the Policeman will take you away'.

A policeman was speaking after witnessing parents warning their children to behave over the Easter holidays.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Afternoon folks, hope you are all still enjoying your Easter holidays.

"I was working in Portrush over Easter. And I am slightly concerned about an issue.

"On passing by police officers I frequently heard adults telling children 'If you don't behave the Policeman will take you away'.

"This is not the message we want to tell our children we want them to know if something is wrong that they can approach police officers without fear."