back to article Caught red-handed: UK cops, PCSOs, specials behaving badly… on social media

In the past five years a surprisingly small number of police employees in England and Wales have been sacked, retired early or forced to resign in connection with serious cockups using social media. A silly season Freedom of Information trawl* of cop shops carried out by the Press Association and reported by the BBC found 828 …

  1. Yugguy

    Shocker

    Police are human too.

    People are generally stupid beyond belief when it comes to this. Don't put anything on social media that you wouldn't be prepared to shout out in a crowded street.

    And have some bloody sense. My wife works in a school. She does NOT respond to any of the friend requests that some of the pupils who are on facebook send her. Simple.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Shocker

      >Police are human too

      Prove it.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Shocker

        Say something they don't agree with and it turns into something like an Internet argument.

        Anon because I don't want the rozzers to friend me and have internet arguments

    2. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Shocker

      Given that the disciplinary punishment for shooting a suspect while in custody is generally not being allowed to choose the chocolate biscuit with you tea for a week - the dismissals are a bit of a shock

    3. Rufusstan

      Re: Shocker

      As far as education goes, I've seen schools go for the bottom line of no social media (or else...), or at least any identifiable accounts, which sorts of defeats the point to a large degree.

      There are several professions in the public sector when you are effectively never off duty, and it makes sense to act accordingly.

  2. viscount
    WTF?

    And the point is?

    Police are human too. I think officers should be held accountable for what they do in their jobs, but if they are stupid on social networks then they are the same as everyone else and would be need to be grossly inappropriate to warrant dismissal.

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: And the point is?

      You have to remember that senior police employees are obsessed with image and reputation management. A bit of lighthearted fun by the troops distracts the media from the deadly serious PR battle for control of the pages and airwaves. Such distractions could result in a missed promotion opportunity or a smaller pension ... and that just isn't acceptable in modern British policing.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: And the point is?

      >grossly inappropriate to warrant dismissal

      And WTF do you call trying to friend the victim of a crime? Slightly naughty? It's definitely not lighthearted fun by the troops.

      1. browntomatoes

        Re: And the point is?

        I'd say it depends entirely on context. Are police officers only allowed to be friends with other police officers? That would be beyond stupid and would be likely to engender (more of) an "us and them" mentality. In any case, how is it any different from (in a "business" type line of work) friending a client? There should be individual judgment involved about the specific situation.

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: And the point is?

          Remember the Steven Lawrence case, where after the police got a wrist slap they sent undercover agents to befriend the family of the victim in the hope of digging some dirt to get revenge after the enquiry?

          Might have made somebody a little touchy

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: And the point is? @browntomatoes

          And the comprehension skills of a commentard is yet again questionable. Who said police officers shouldn't have ordinary friends? They shouldn't friend victims specifically in the same way that doctors shouldn't friend patients nor teachers friend students.

          1. browntomatoes

            Re: And the point is? @browntomatoes

            I'd say the same thing about each of those situations - it depends on context and judgment. A blanket rule just seems inappropriate. I'm facebook friends with several of my old school teachers for example, and I would happily have been Facebook friends with my old GP (now retired). There's nothing wrong with that. You meet people from all walks of life who can be interesting or who you just get on well with. Equally there are also plenty for whom the opposite is true. The idea that people in certain relationships to each other aren't allowed to also be friends (Facebook or real life) just seems ridiculous and unnatural to me.

            The behaviour that they are trying to avoid isn't clear either - is it stalking/taking advantage of a professional relationship to create or further a personal one? If so, then they should simply say that that's against the code of conduct and leave the specifics to individual cases. Or is it that having a personal relationship with a police officer might mean your case gets unfairly prioritized by them? In which case, again, the code of conduct ought to say that policing priorities and resourcing decisions should be made impartially and fairly. I imagine actually that whatever code of conduct there is already says these things. I just don't see why it needs to say *anything* about who you can/can't be friends with.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: And the point is?

      Well, seeing as I could be fired for just about any action that brings my employer into disrepute (even if I'm not in working hours); I don't see why police should be any different.

      I actively avoid discussing who I work for or our products in order to not fall foul of the rules.

      Police should do the same, *unless* their job is as a PR drone.

      As for "friending" a victim...who knows if that was right or wrong. Did the victim complain? What were they a victim of? etc. Context. That said, as officers are usually identifiable "off the job" then they are never really "off the job" are they?

      1. Alfred 2
        Happy

        Re: And the point is?

        "That said, as officers are usually identifiable "off the job" then they are never really "off the job" are they?"

        Frankly I'd like to see a bit more of them on the job, a bit more often.

  3. Alistair
    Holmes

    We Is the Law 'round there.

    @gaz -- you're getting the right idea.

    You have to remember that senior police employees are obsessed with the opportunity to become senior security advisors in the *private* sector, notably to those entities that are eating our governmental financial soup whilst tripling costs, by replacing the public sector staff with underpaid foreign contractors, who cannot do the job, and pocketing the balance.

    (oops is my cynicism showing?)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Something seems wrong here

    They've sacked a higher proportion of those accused of misusing Social Media than those accused of killing people in the last few years.

    Remember officers you're better off shooting someone than insulting them on Facebook.

  5. h3

    This is the same police who covered for Jimmy Saville for all that time. (Including going to his home weekly).

    The Met switched from getting bribes from the mob to getting them from News International.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    "Fuzz" is too fluffy

    We all know they are gits, so call them something harder - like "Rozzers"

    Icon, the nearest, but not as nasty equivalent of the modern Rozzer.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Fuzz" is too fluffy

      I prefer: Jacks

  7. Rich 11

    Caption Competition

    And two special constables were told to quit their voluntary jobs after being caught in a "compromising position" in a picture posted online.

    "Is that a funny handshake or are you just pleased to see me?"

  8. Frankee Llonnygog

    How odd

    Back in the day, rozzers got in trouble for friending criminals not victims. Not to mention the antics of the underduvet shag-a-demonstrator squad

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Quit news period!?

    Journos must be sitting around twiddling their thumbs, what with only the war in Israel, IS running amok in Iraq & Syria, Ebola outbreak in West Africa, ongoing crisis in the Ukraine/Russia to name a few going on...

    1. gazthejourno (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Quit news period!?

      And the IT angle for those is what, exactly?

      1. DavCrav
        IT Angle

        Re: Quit news period!?

        "And the IT angle for those is what, exactly?"

        Since when has that stopped anyone on here?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Quit news period!?

        What's that got to do with it? The article states the FOI request was made by the BBC, I'm not saying the Reg should be reporting on these, I'm saying it's not exactly what I would call a quiet news period for the BBC. Also, chill out.

      3. MyffyW Silver badge

        Re: Quit news period!?

        @gazthejourno - Some scientific analysis on what this Ebola outbreak might mean to us selfish, self-obsessed first-world-types would be welcome. What's the latest on these experimental treatments? How do the epidemiologists expect this to play out? Put some toilet humour in there to make us feel at home.

        Not that I'm telling you how to do your job or anything ;-)

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Boolean logic...

    (

    (discriminatory, abusive, oppressive, harassing, bullying, victimising, offensive)

    OR

    (otherwise incompatible with policing principles)

    )

    covers just about everything then!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Run away!

    The idea of so-called social media/networking leaves me stone cold. What sort of buzz folk get from airing their every-day foibles, quirks and actions to a world that they seem to assume is agog to hear what they had for breakfast or other mundane matters is totally beyond my comprehension. All I can say is that there must be a whole lot of very sad folk in this world who have been completely conned and brainwashed by Facebook, Twitter and the like. Stay away, I say!

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Run away!

      And you are posting this on a social media/networking site aimed largely at old fart computer geeks ?

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It depends

    Yes, cops are human, and make cock-ups like anyone else.

    However, the one thing we were always taught:

    "No-one gives a shit if a plumber bangs the girl down the street whilst he's married to the girl up the street, but they will if it's a cop."

    It can be frustrating. I'm a cop in Scotland and sometimes there's a great opportunity to have fun and enjoy yourself and show a good, friendly, human face of the Police but if someone snaps it on their phone, the chain of command might not find it so appropriate.

    Case in hand: I was manning a rugby match. A Welsh team was there and I was patrolling the front of the stands. Guy with Wales cap and mini rugby posts on it, looked great. I was passing by for the 'nth time and he waves it at me, asking for a swap.

    I would've loved to, it would've been funny, people would've appreciated it, but I would've got my fucking arse kicked for it.

    You can't win, hence why so many of us are dour bastards. Social media means you can't get away with anything.

    Commonwealth Games, the guy in the Clyde outfit was told in no uncertain terms to make sure he came and gave us all a hug in his outfit for a quick selfie but our boss went fucking mental.

    Posting anon so I don't get sacked too!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It depends

      But on the bright side you do get to beat up and kill people with almost total immunity.

    2. The First Dave

      Re: It depends

      I've never seen a cop on the pitch at Murrayfield - especially not at a Wales match, sure you aren't thinking of a football match?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: It depends

        Nap. Rugby, but and not sure how it works... league matches? City vs city sort of stuff? Smaller stadiums, we would wander around the circuit that runs in front of the stand then goes behind the rear stand. We were the only cops there, all very low key and friendly stuff as rugby always is anyway.

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like