Police wearing Santa hats at New Taipei Christmasland causes controversy

新北耶誕城警察戴聖誕帽惹爭議

Some wanted photos with them, others called it disgraceful


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Some on-duty New Taipei City police officers sparked controversy when they wore Santa hats at the Christmasland concerts in Banqiao District over the weekend.

Some netizens appreciated the officers' holiday spirit, while others deemed it disgraceful.

After the concerts at this year’s Christmasland ended on Sunday (Dec. 11), a netizen posted photos of police officers directing traffic wearing Santa hats at the venue on a Facebook group page with the comment, “We are police, not clowns, and which law requires police to wear those hats on duty?”

"How silly and ridiculous it would be if these Santa hat-donning officers were suddenly required to enter a dangerous situation or make arrests," the netizen said.

Other Facebook users also expressed frustration, "The measure confused being friendly with loss of dignity," while another said, “Police’s professionalism is not obtained by trying to please the public with nonsense.”

However, some netizens came out in support of the hats, saying that the public liked them, and that many people wanted to take photos with the officers. Others commented that the police wearing Santa hats were cute and popular with the children, and it has nothing to do with dignity.

When asked about the issue, New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said that the purpose of asking police to wear Santa hats at the celebrations was to have them blend in with the occasion, improve the optics of having a strong police presence there, and to protect the public, CNA reported.

The New Taipei City Police Department stated that during the Christmasland’s two-day concerts, about 570 police officers were dispatched in a single day, and 100 of them were wearing Santa hats. The 100 officers were dispatched to help direct traffic at intersections and protect the safety of the people, and that they were not the frontline police force, the department added, per CNA.