Is this the world’s worst police e-fit?

This unusual picture has attracted widespread ridicule after it was issued by detectives who are hunting a suspect in Macclesfield .

And some Facebook users found the image so amusing that they have even created their own comical versions of the e-fit.

The picture was circulated by Cheshire Police after a man entered The Park Tavern, in Park Lane, at around 6.45pm on January 12 ordered a drink and sat alone at the bar. He was seen acting in an odd manner and witnesses noticed a number of AA batteries in a plastic case around his waist.

When he was asked to leave, the man pulled out a knife and threatened a customer before fleeing the scene at around 8.30pm.

No-one was injured during the incident.

Officers sent the picture out in the hope of catching the suspect. It shows a man with a black beard and hair apparently scribbled onto a computer-generated image.

But the e-fit has prompted ridicule from many Macclesfield Express readers who have taken to the newspaper’s Facebook page to post tongue-in-cheek comments.

Anna Gough wrote: “I genuinely thought this was a joke. Looks like the image was made on someone’s PC using Paint.”

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While Paula Derbyshire added: “Such a good e-fit until it comes to the hair and beard. It looks as though someone has attacked it with a marker pen!!”

Joanne Ross speculated that the police may have used an etch-a-sketch to create the image, while Daniel Pyatt questioned whether it had been created by a child writing: “Did a 3 year old edit that pic using windows paint?”

Other readers asked if Cheshire Police’s latest e-fit was poorly executed as a result of cuts to the policing budget.

Watch: Some of the world's most bizarre e-fits

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Dominic Gibbs wrote: “There’s budget cuts, and then there’s using snapchat to take a picture of your mate and scribbling on his face. This is Cameron’s fault”

Ed Coley added: “When you’re in charge of criminal investigation but only have access to Microsoft paint.”

While Tor Bullock added: “Is this a joke? Do we need to sort some kind of collection? I’m sure there’s a course people can go on... Then we can catch ‘em”

The suspect is described as white, around 5ft 9ins, aged in his late 30s, with short black hair, a dark coloured beard and a slim face.

He was wearing a black waist length jacket with a grey jumper underneath, blue jeans and trainers.

Anyone with any information about the incident should call Cheshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 835 of January 12, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.