The good old British police....
The Facebook Coppers: The bizarre pictures of police officers in gas masks and handcuffed to a chair
By STEVE MYALL and MARTIN DELGADO
28th July 2007
Daily Mail
Scotland Yard has launched an investigation after officers posted outrageous videos on the social networking website Facebook.
The videos of officers larking around were filmed while they were on duty - supposed to be fighting crime and protecting communities in one of Britain's most violent areas.
In one clip, members of a uniformed patrol handcuff each other to chairs and indulge in a mock striptease. In a posting on the site, another officer reveals why he loves his job, saying: "I get to hit people with a stick." [[British police don't carry guns but carry truncheons instead]]
The footage, which could have been seen by any of the the site's 1.3 million UK members, is sure to anger Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, who is concerned about the image of his force.
Mug Shots: Officers in 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' pose
This is a slip-up: PC Johnny Baker 'defends' the police canteen
What a gas: PC Baker fools around in his mask
A Met spokeswoman said last night it appeared that officers had fallen short of their professional standards.
Those involved could now face a dressing down from their superiors and even disciplinary action if they are deemed to have brought the force into disrepute.
Some clips are posted by PC Kelly Cooper, 24, from Welling, Kent, who lists herself as being a Metropolitan Police constable based in Lewisham - a borough with some of the highest crime statistics in the country.
One video shows a scene of misbehaviour understood to be inside Lewisham police station.
In the film a scuffle breaks out as two women officers try to handcuff each other. Above the screeching, a male voice says: "I'm recording it all for further evidence at a later date."
Chairs are knocked over and male officers run out of the way as the women crash across a desk, scattering paperwork.
Darth idea: Thomas Quirke in Star Wars guise
Non PC: A female officer is manhandled
Sitting target: The female officer is handcuffed to a swivel chair
The female officer, handcuffed to the swivel chair, is pushed round the office to amusement of colleagues
Two burly male officers step in and handcuff the women to the chairs. One of the women is then pulled in the chair across the floor.
She is then shown cuffed to a swivel chair on the floor as she is mocked and filmed by her laughing colleagues. In the same incident a male officer manhandles a woman officer, who cries out: "You b*****ds."
Yet another film shows three officers in a police station car park. A female police officer is shown pretending to strip. She removes a belt from her uniform before stopping and in the background a female voice says: 'Don't get shy.'
The Facebook site allows users to set up groups for members who have a shared interest, such as their job.
One group is called "Met Police - best force in the world" and has 600 members, many of whom have posted pictures of themselves apparently on duty and in uniform.
On this link PC Matt Chaters writes that he 'gets to hit people with a stick when they've been bad and get paid for it'. He adds: 'God i LOVE my job!!'
Officer Thomas Quirke posts a picture of himself wearing a Star Wars Darth Maul mask and images of him apparently driving a police Jaguar.
PC Johnny Baker is pictured crouched down in a canteen holding a banana as if it were a gun. He is also shown in a gas mask and in a dress.
The Met spokeswoman said: "This matter will be brought to the attention of borough commanders.
"Officers in the workplace are not able to access social networking sites such as Facebook because there is no business need for our employees to visit them. Outside working hours, officers must use their discretion in the information they provide."
Within two hours of The Mail on Sunday alerting the Met to the footage on Friday, it had been removed from the Facebook site.
According to Home Office statistics, 31,591 crimes were committed in Lewisham borough last year. There were nearly 200 gun-related crimes and more than 2,000 street robberies.
In June, 16-year-old Ben Hitchcock was stabbed to death on a street in nearby Beckenham.
Shadow Home Office Minister Andrew Rosindell said yesterday: "The public expect officers on duty to behave with dignity."
dailymail.co.uk
I still dont think it constitutes a Breaking Headline all the same :P
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