A COMMUNITY Support Officer from Devon and Cornwall who posed on Facebook with weapons is among hundreds of police officers who have been investigated for breaching social media guidelines.
A Devon and Cornwall sergeant was also given a written warning after making remarks about senior officers on the site
Research by the Press Association found officers made racist and threatening comments online and sent Facebook friend requests to crime victims.
Of 828 cases in England and Wales from 2009 to February this year, nine per cent ended in resignation, dismissal or retirement.
The College of Policing said there was "no place... for officers who abuse the trust placed in us by the public".
Around a seventh (14%) of the cases reported resulted in no further action at all. The majority of other cases were dealt with through advice being offered to the officer in question.
Apart from the Devon and Cornwall cases, others included:
A civilian officer in central London who posted a comment online about Muslims in London failing to observe a two-minute silence
Two special constables who had to resign from Northamptonshire Police after they were pictured on a website in a "compromising position"
A Gwent Police officer who was given a written warning after he "inappropriately" asked a female member of the public to be his friend on Facebook during a house visit
Another PC from the force who received the same punishment for using Facebook to send an "abusive" message to a member of the public
A member of civilian staff in Lancashire who resigned over their "excessive and inappropriate use of the internet during working hours" - including online auction sites, internet banking and social networking
Chief Constable Alex Marshall, chief executive of the College of Policing, said: "There is no place in policing for officers who abuse the trust placed in us by the public."
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