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The curse of social networking in the workplace strikes again as postings emerged on Facebook showing three young women posing for photos wearing police hats, high-visibility jackets and boots … inside a police station.

With today’s modern technology, a camera in every phone plus immediate and widespread publication over the internet, the dangers inherant in relaxed and unguarded moments are greater than ever.

The women in question were at the station to provide statements following an earlier altercation. Officers did not prevent the behaviour and seem to have photographed them posing with patrol cars.

The official statement, suggesting officers “made attempts to stop them taking photographs for security reasons”, seems to ignore that fact that at least one photo was taken by someone other than the “visitors”.

The police spokesman said -

“Both the force and the officers involved very much regret the negative way the photographs – and the circumstances in which they were taken – could be perceived.’

Following an internal investigation the three officers involved, two PCs and a temporary sergeant, received warnings about their behaviour and were moved to other police stations in the county.

This case is different from recent examples of social networking disasters.  The officers in question did not post the embarassing photos themselves, though Facebook users revealed their inappropriate judgements to a broad audience.

People in positions of responsibility must, at every moment, consider how their behaviour might be perceived by a public which seems easy to “shock”, or at least with newspapers who are so keen to shock.