London - A British policeman who dressed up as Osama bin Laden during a village fete has attracted the wrath of his superiors and is being reported to a complaints commission, police said Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent Colin Terry took part in a village carnival in Grampound, in the south-western region of Cornwall, last Saturday, a few days before the seventh anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the US.

Devon and Cornwall Police Wednesday condemned Terry's conduct as "misguided" and said he was facing "misconducts proceedings" by the Independent Police Complaints Commission watchdog.

"Whilst we believe his actions were misguided rather than malicious, they were clearly inappropriate and we would condemn any such actions by any police officer as unacceptable," a spokeswoman for the police force said.

In Grampound, residents said they were surprised by the reaction to the costume.

"The parade was just a bit of village fun, I would be surprised if people took offence," said Diane Hannam, representative of the carnival committee. (dpa)