828 police officers investigated for racist, threatening and inappropriate social media posts
Research by the Press Association has found that hundreds of police officers in England and Wales have been investigated for racist, threatening and otherwise inappropriate social media posts made since 2009.
The figures include a total of 828 cases investigated in that time, 9 per cent of which ended in resignation, dismissal or retirement and 14 per cent of where no further action was taken. The remainder were dealt with a verbal warning.
Cases to come to light include that of a Gwent PC in receipt of a written warning after inviting a female member of the public to be his friend on Facebook during a house call, two special constables from Nottinghamshire who had to resign after being snapped in a ‘compromising position’ and several civilian staff in Lancashire who resigned over ‘excessive and inappropriate use of the internet’ during office hours.
Other forces have investigated comments deemed to be racist, homophobic or ‘religiously aggressive’.
Chief constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, said: "Our code of ethics, which was launched last month, sets out the standards which everyone in the service should strive to uphold whether at work or away from work, online or offline.
"There is no place in policing for officers who abuse the trust placed in us by the public."