Police 'inundated' with yobs reporting Royal Family after viral post

A well-meaning social media post put out by South Yorkshire Police has seen them inundated with mocking calls and responses.

The post, which appealed for information regarding anybody who seemingly lives a lavish lifestyle without having a job, led to a flurry of responses on X with the Royal Family, Michelle Mone and Keir Starmer being recommended for further investigation.

The post was designed to draw attention to organised criminals with unexplained wealth but social media users were quick to comment and share the post which has now been viewed more than 14 million times.

One user said: “Surname Windsor, used to go by Saxe-Coburg. Approach the patriarch with caution.”

Another user shared a picture of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and said: “This guy doesn’t seem to do much work. Well worth a look I think.”

Responders didn’t simply look to humans for potential criminal activity, with Larry the Downing Street cat also being suggested as being worth a closer look.

@Lillyin_London said: “This guy seems very suspicious” whilst sharing a picture of arguably Downing Street’s most popular inhabitant in recent years.

Not everybody saw the funny side of the post nor the understood the rationale behind it.

Some commented that it felt like the actions of a communist police state, encouraging people to report on their neighbours, while some questioned whether or not the police had better things to do.

The post was a small part of a wider effort to clamp down on those with unexplained wealth, which can often be a sign of organised crime.

In March 2022 the Government expedited the passage of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which expanded the scope and powers of the police to investigate and seize unexplained wealth.

In the financial year of 2022-2023, £339.1 million of assets were recovered from Confiscation, Forfeiture, and Civil Recovery Orders. This included cash, cars and property which was suspected of being the proceeds of criminal activity.