'Gangnam Style' police raise £3,000

Police staff who took part in a spoof video for the pop song "Gangnam Style" have raised thousands of pounds for a disabled boy, just 24 hours after it was released on the internet.

Officers and police community support officers from Devon and Cornwall Police recreated the music video by Korean rapper Psy in order to generate cash for 12-year-old Josh Wilson, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2004.

After his treatment Josh, from Bury in Lancashire, now has severe neuromuscular disabilities that require a fully adapted home. His family needs £25,000 to pay for a ceiling track hoist, a special bath, building work and other basic equipment.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the video had attracted around 50,000 views on the internet, with people donating in excess of £3,000.

Sergeant Gary Watts persuaded colleagues to join him in a recreation of the music video, putting their dancing skills to the test to film the parody which has been posted on various video-sharing sites including the force's YouTube channel.

Sgt Watts vowed to make the Gangnam Style video if he reached 5,000 followers on the social network website Twitter before the end of 2012, which he achieved with help from a #GangnamPoliceman hashtag.

He said: "We are absolutely overwhelmed with the positive response from the public and amazed that there have been nearly 50,000 views and £3,000 donated already.

"Josh's family are now just £5,000 away from their target. Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, and watched and shared the video so far."

The teenager became known to Sgt Watts when someone on Josh's behalf requested a police helmet. Sgt Watts said: "This isn't something we would normally do. We don't give out any uniform for obvious reasons. However, I could see from pictures and tweets that Josh is mad about the emergency services and it would be a unique gift."

Anyone wanting to donate to Joshua's Journey fund can do so at superjosh.co.uk. The video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/jhWrCGVMQf8.