'What would I do with seven days off each week?' Britain's most recognisable police officer is staying on the beat

His face has been used on thousands of cardboard cutouts throughout the country

Meet Britain’s most familiar police officer whose face appears on thousands of cardboard cutouts across the UK.

PC Neil Parkin has served Northumbria Police for 25 years but his face is known to millions after becoming the poster boy of British policing.

His face has been used on thousands of cardboard cutouts which appear in every Morrisons supermarket in the country and abroad.

The 55-year-old cop was due to retire this year but he has decided to continue pounding the beat of his patch of Sunderland.

He said: “It all started when a friend of a friend’s son asked to take some pictures of me for his photography degree.

“It was at the time when police officers had just changed into an all-black uniform and I was asked whether I’d mind being in few pictures, so I said ‘no problem’.

“A year later, I saw my picture in a police magazine which was a bit surprising – but ‘fair enough’, I thought.

“The next thing, I started spotting the picture of myself all over the place including in kids' books and on posters.

“Morrison’s have since taken up the idea to try and deter shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

“I think I’m now being used in all of their UK stores, and even in one of their supermarkets in Gibraltar.

“I’ve never heard the end of it from colleagues and family, to be honest – and before I was due to retire in March, a few of the cops thought it would be amusing to get a picture of me with my cardboard self in the Seaburn store.

“It’s not quite the legacy in policing I thought I’d leave, but it’s funny all the same.”

Earlier this year PC Parkin was due to retire but he has re-joined the Force as a staff investigator.

He added: “I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed my time in the police.

“I’m one of those people who likes a structure to my week, and I’ve had that working shifts for most of my career.

“What would I do with seven days off each week? I’ve no idea – so it’s great to be back and helping serve the people of Sunderland and South Tyneside.”