Force in tune with victim's music love

Body-cam footage shows two officers checking up on the pensioner last Thursday, after he was targeted by thieves a few months earlier.

The OAP chatted about being a pilot in the war and his love of music before he asked whether they knew the nocturnes written by classical composer Frederic Chopin.

Incredibly, PCSO Craig Bull knew how to play the piece and tinkled the ivories to cheer up the elderly man and “make his day”.

The pensioner, seated in an armchair in his living room with his back to the camera, can be seen clapping and miming playing the keys himself.

Toward the end of the three-minute clip, he can be heard repeatedly telling the Nottinghamshire Police officer “very good”.

The force’s Mansfield police team uploaded the video to Facebook where it has been viewed almost 150,000 times in just 24 hours.

In the post, PCSO Bull wrote: “Following a theft revisit for a 93-year-old gentleman, it made me feel good about myself and the job I do.

“He felt wanted and reassured. He was pleased we had checked in on him to see that he was okay.

“He shared stories about him ‘getting his wings’, being a pilot, the war and sadly the loss of his beloved wife on Christmas Eve a few years ago.

“I noticed he had a piano with music open – one of his favourite Chopin pieces he said, a nocturne.

“I told him it was my late grandma’s favourite too!

“I said I could play, so he invited me to play for him, which I did.

“It made his day. “

“I played the piece and I could hear him clapping. It gave him the same pleasure that it did my grandma.”

But it was only when PCSO Bull got back to the office that his colleague revealed they had filmed the recital on their mobile phone.

Instantly, PCSO Bull became a hit and Nottinghamshire Police decided to upload the video onto Facebook.

He said: “I can’t believe how quickly the video has gone everywhere.

“We put it on Facebook to show we are human and its part and parcel of our job in the beat team.”

“A lot of people have interactions with the police when they have done naughty things but it is the other side that people forget such as reassurance.

“Not only did it make his day but it made my day. It hit the mark because we strive to achieve on a daily basis.

“I have been around to his house since. I did the piece again and I did a couple of other pieces as well.

“I would like to thank everyone who has left a comment on the video.

“I have been overwhelmed by the positive response,” he added.

PCSO Bull learnt to the play piano when he was just three years old.

His grandmother, Kathleen Cox studied at the London Royal Academy of Music and used to teach music.

He used to frequently visit her home in Mansfield to play the piano for her. She passed away aged 96.

PCSO Bull said he plays the piano for his “own enjoyment”.