TWO police officers have been taken off duty after a social media image was posted online – can you tell why?
New South Wales Police have confirmed the two cops have been stood down and an internal investigation launched after an image was posted to the BeReal site.
The image appears to show a police officer pointing their gun at another officer inside what is reportedly a Sydney police station.
While the other officer looks as if he is pointing his gun at his own head.
A spokeswoman for the NSW Police said: “The officers have been identified and their firearms secured.
“Both officers, who are attached to a Police Area Command within South West Metropolitan Region, have been placed on administrative duties.”
The new social media app allows users to share a daily spontaneous snapshot of their life with friends.
While it is unclear if the officer’s settings were set to private or public, the image has been circulated on social media.
The NSW Police social media guidelines state that employees must not post anything that “may bring the NSW Police Force into disrepute, or otherwise embarrass the agency”.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb condemned the post, saying she was “absolutely disgusted” by the behaviour.
She told The Sydney Morning Herald: “We will be taking appropriate action at the earliest opportunity.”
The BeReal post also caught the attention of radio host Mark Levy who drew attention to it during his 2GB show on Tuesday morning and brought up the two Queensland police officers who died during the Wieambilla siege last Monday.
Levy told his listeners: “The photo that’s been posted to social media needs to be taken very, very seriously.
“I hope the high ranking members of the police force sit these two individuals down and remind them of what’s happened in Queensland.
“We are mourning the loss of two police officers who were investigating a missing person.
“This is not funny.’”
