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Crash cops boast on Facebook site
Rashid Razaq, Evening Standard17 Jan 2008
Scotland Yard is launching an inquiry into entries on a website apparently posted by police boasting about their road accidents.
Met Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said it was "unacceptable" for officers to post pictures bragging about hitting pedestrians and damaging police vehicles.
The group on networking website Facebook shows more than 30 pictures of accidents involving police vehicles and is called Yes I Have Had A Polcol - a police collision. Sir Ian said: " If true, this behaviour is completely unacceptable.
"We will conduct a rigorous investigation to find those responsible."
The group invites officers to post pictures and tell how the crashes happened, saying: "If you know what I mean then this is the place for you. If you don't, then keep on moving, there is nothing to see here."
One picture shows a Vauxhall Astra sandwiched between a wall and a lamp post. The person who posted the picture wrote: "See the bus lane behind the car... probably not best to be going 75 down it... with stationary traffic in the carriageway. One muppet turns left, IRV [incident response vehicle] Tbones it, spins off and creams into that teeny-weeny gap."
One picture is of a collision between a marked police vehicle and a small white car. The person who posted it wrote: "I did him a favour. At 82 years old you just shouldn't be on the road and if you are, then most certainly don't go through a green light into the path of an innocent police car."
Another shot shows an unmarked squad car after an apparent collision with a bus in Roman Road, Tower Hamlets, with the words: "The car was fixed and back on the road before I bloody was... they look after the cars a darn site better than they do us!!"
Reader views (6)
oh for god sake we have all had crashes and bragged about it so whats so taboo about officers doing it,i think they have a right of using their bad experience and turn it into humour to help get over the shock and nightmare.
so stop critising police all the time about mistakes they do coz aint like the fire and ambulance service and army are all pure now is it.
- Pc Plod, London, 23/11/2008 01:55
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You people need to lighten up. This is only harmless messing about - the police are human too remember.
- Paul, London, 18/01/2008 11:33
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Although it is in bad taste, the comments in the first person sound ironic rather than real and so it looks like they are actually showing the stupidity of the drivers in question.
It never ceases to amaze me how people don't realise that if you post something on the internet it is public!
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 18/01/2008 07:45
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Just shows how childish and immature these people really are. Amazing that Sir Ian says it's 'unacceptable'. What on earth does he mean by that? So, apart from that, Sir Ian is perfectly happy with these 'officers'?
These children (or is that, muppets?) should be sacked. They are just overgrown fourth-formers in uniform.
- Chuck Unsworth, London, 17/01/2008 13:26
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This is a big slap in the face to all the policemen/women in this country. It truly shows the ugly side of human beings, a side you really don’t wish to see on the people who are supposed to protect you. Utterly shameful.
- Fran, London, UK, 17/01/2008 13:25
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If these are truly from police officers then let's hope they are sacked...but then again, given the current state of the UK, they'll probably be suspended on full pay prior to retiring early due to stress.
- Mn, London, 17/01/2008 13:02
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