Police have been forced to deny that a man seen on Tinder with police equipment is a legitimate serving officer, having had to launch an investigation into the fancy dress fan.
Twitter user Dr Rebecca Tidy shared a Tinder screengrab on her feed, tagging Devon and Cornwall Police and asking: “One of your lot?
“I decided against swiping right.”
In the photo, a man billing himself as a 34-year-old called Liam can be seen posing for the camera with an extended police truncheon, his face obscured by an apple emoji.
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He is wearing only a bulletproof vest – while a strategically placed police hat protects him not from gunfire, but from blushes.
Devon and Cornwall Police replied to Tidy, telling her that an investigation was underway to see if this person was a ‘serving officer’.
“If he is, action will be taken,” the force said, linking to a full statement that said: “We are aware of an image currently circulating on social media that appears to show a partially clothed male in police equipment, that is being used as a profile on a dating app.
“We are working with the Force Professional Standards Department and enquiries continue to establish if this individual is a serving police officer.”
In a later update, the force revealed its professional standards department had been working with Merseyside Police, which had also issued a statement in relation to the ‘inappropriate image from a dating app’.
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A Merseyside Police spokesperson confirmed the mystery man was not a member of its force – and that the photo had actually been doing the rounds online for some time.
“We are aware of an image circulating on social media showing a partially clothed man with police equipment,” they said.
“The image was reported to the Professional Standards Department at Merseyside Police in May 2020 when it appeared on social media after it had been shared on a dating app.
“Following an investigation it was established that the man pictured was not – and has never been – a police officer or a member of police staff.
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“The man was wearing police equipment belonging to a serving Merseyside Police officer in the photograph. The officer was not present at the time the photograph was taken or aware it was being taken.
“He was given advice by our Professional Standards Department and the man who posted the image on a dating app later removed it on the officer’s request.
"Our dedicated Professional Standards Department thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct by anyone employed by the force.
“It is essential that police officers and staff act with respect, professionalism and integrity at all times and that as a Force we take swift and robust action to investigate anyone whose behaviour falls short of those high standards.”
Jess Hardiman