Police apologise as Nickelback react to threat to punish drunk drivers with their music

Nickelback are not happy police used their music as a punishment. Photo / Supplied

Nickelback have taken extreme offence to police threatening to play the band's music as a punishment for drunk drivers, and had a representative put a stop to it.

Police in Kensington, on Canada's Prince Edward Island, took to Facebook threatening: "on top of a hefty fine, a criminal charge and a year's driving suspension we will also provide you with a bonus gift of playing the office's copy of Nickelback in the cruiser on the way to jail."

However after hearing from Nickelback, the Kensington Police Service returned to Facebook to make an apology, saying "what do you do when you use a joke to carry a message, but the message turns into the joke?"

So what do you do when you use a joke to carry a message, but the message turns into the joke? The other day I created...

Posted by Kensington Police Service on Friday, 2 December 2016

The poster said at the time, it seemed like a great idea, "all pure intentions" and a way to get the message against drunk driving out there, however "somewhere in the noise, the message of Don't Drink and Drive was overshadowed by negativity towards the band.

"I was sure a hugely successful band would be fine with a little goodwill shade thrown their way, after all it's for a good cause. But the more successful the post became ... that prompted me to think less about Nickelback as the 'entity' and more about the four guys, four human beings from Alberta who were dragged into this international story. And the more I thought about that,the less funny the humour seemed.

"I am sorry to Chad, Ryan, Mike and Daniel ... You guys share so much with so many and I truly feel bad for using that the way I did. It was not my intention, It was not my desire but it was the outcome and I have to own that. So for that I am sorry. We are better than that."