The British Transport Police (BTP) have come under fire for taking selfies with celebrities instead of fighting crime.
A senior policing figure said officers “shouldn't be posing for selfies with celebrities” while on duty as it undermined the seriousness of the job.
It comes as a number of pictures of transport officers posing alongside household names, including Tom Daley, the Olympic diver, and the comedian Jimmy Carr have been posted on the BTP’s official Instagram page.
Phillip Schofield, the TV presenter, and Strictly Come Dancing’s Claudia Winkleman were also approached by officers for a picture.
Responding to the images, the senior figure said: “Officers shouldn't be posing for selfies with celebrities anymore than they should be posing with anyone else.
“[They] Shouldn't be dancing the macarena, or wearing rainbow silhouettes. Policing is a serious business.
“Police need to be scrupulously impartial, at all times be seen to be friendly and approachable, but serious and professional.”
The figure, who asked to remain anonymous, said the lack of professionalism was part of a wider cultural problem in some police forces across the country.
“There are now two schools of thought among chief officers. There are ones taking this very seriously like Steve [Stephen] Watson in Greater Manchester, who say ‘we take this seriously and we are going to do serious policing,’” they said.
“There is also the right-on brigade who, when there's a viewpoint they think a large amount of the public have sympathy with, they think they should go with public opinion.
“They shouldn't do that. They should be preventing crime and enforcing the criminal law.”
Other celebrities who posed for selfies with officers include Mark Labbett, who stars in The Chase, Coronation Street's Shelley King, who plays Yasmeen Nazir, and The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy.
BTP also posted a picture of two officers with Claudia Winkleman at King's Cross station in London on August 12, when the public were urged to stay hydrated during the summer heatwave.
The post attracted criticism online.
Jeff Brewin said: “Another photo of the bone idle paid for by good people's council tax.”
While Paul Butcher commented: “Get back to work!”
A BTP spokesperson said: “Our officers conduct highly visible patrols on the railway day in, day out to keep passengers safe and assist them as they travel.
“Among the thousands of passengers our teams engage with every day are celebrities.
“Officers will often have their photo taken with a famous face to be posted on BTP's social media channels.
“Posting these photos on social media increases engagement between us and communities we serve and provides us with the opportunity to promote crime reporting tools, such as our 61016 text-to-report service.”
