KENSINGTON, P.E.I. — A small-town P.E.I. police department has issued a public apology to Nickelback, and taken down a social media post that threatened to force drunk drivers to listen to the Alberta band’s music.

In a heartfelt Facebook post Friday, a Kensington police officer says that after the “joke” post went viral, he began to feel like a bully.

Friday’s post was unsigned, but Const. Robb Hartlen of the service last weekend shared a social media post promising to force any drunk drivers to listen to the Alberta band while in the back seat of a cruiser.

In Friday’s post, though, the officer said a message meant to deter drunk drivers instead made a charity-minded Canadian band the butt of jokes around the world.

He says he reached out to the band’s four members and their families, and found they feel just as strongly as he does about drunk driving.

He says the police service plans to launch a new anti-drunk driving message, and asked readers to “stay tuned.”

 

The Canadian Press