A POLICE force has been blasted for taking part in a Pride-themed bus tour with a drag act named Coco Aine.

       Two PCSOs joined the performer and a councillor to hand sweets to children in a drive to boost community relations.

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       South Wales Police Force has been slammed for a Pride-themed bus tour with a drag act named Coco Aine Credit: INSTAGRAM/COCO AINE 6

       Two PCSOs and a councillor joined the performer to hand sweets to children in a drive to boost community relations Credit: INSTAGRAM/COCO AINE 6

       It is thought the June 30 bus tour was organised by Neath Port Talbot Pride, which held its first event in the steelworks town this year Credit: INSTAGRAM/COCO AINE

       A social media post from cops, since deleted, confirmed: “Port Talbot NPT are on the Pride bus？.？.？.？if you see the bus stopped, come and say hello.”

       Charlotte Galsworthy, a Labour councillor in Port Talbot, South Wales, said in a post they were planning to “stop at any bus stops that children are waiting to give out sweetie! (sic)”

       But Toby Young, of the Free Speech Union, said: “This is all too typical of police forces. They spend far too much time and money on fostering good community relations with woke identity groups, and not enough on catching criminals.”

       It is thought the June 30 bus tour was organised by Neath Port Talbot Pride, which held its first event in the steelworks town this year.

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       Ms Galsworthy told The Sun: “I had never met him (Coco Aine) before. I just knew him as Jack. He didn’t hand any sweets to kids.

       “There were two PCSOs on the bus and we just went around handing out water bottles and lanyards.

       “The whole thing was two hours, it was really bad weather and we stopped twice and there was nobody there. I think we met eight people in total and we already knew them.

       “Would I have done things differently if I’d known? I probably would have.

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       “After all the hate that’s been directed at me, I probably wouldn’t have got involved.”

       Port Talbot is among the UK’s most deprived areas with soaring levels of unemployment.

       Earlier this year, South Wales Police hiked its share of council tax by 7.4 per cent to help bridge a ￡20million shortfall.

       In February, it was criticised for spending ￡24,000 on rainbow flags, face paints, LGBTQ badges and whistles — the most of any force in the country.

       Tom Ryan, at the TaxPayers' Alliance, added: “With the police precept on the rise, hard-pressed taxpayers expect to see precious resources focused on fighting crime.”

       South Wales Police would not say if it was appropriate for officers to participate alongside Coco Aine or why their tweet about the event was deleted.

       It added: “We work hard to engage with all communities.

       “We do this to establish trust and to ensure that the public have confidence in reporting crime or seeking help.”

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       South Wales Police Neath Port Talbot's tweet Credit: Twitter 6

       The flyer for the event advertising drag act Coco Aine Credit: Twitter 6

       Coco with Charlotte Galsworthy - a Labour councillor in Port Talbot Credit: Twitter