Police officers have been ordered to check their children’s social media posts – to stop them revealing their occupation.
The move is part of a Police Scotland crackdown on misuse of social media.
The force fears organised crime groups could infiltrate their private family social media accounts to find compromising information.
It has told staff that neither they nor their children can post that they are police officers when they are on sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
Between April last year and January, 11 police officers were investigated over their social media use. Three received reprimands, one officer resigned prior to disciplinary proceedings and two cases are ongoing.
Police Scotland said: “Officers with an online social network profile or a user of chat rooms should never reveal their personal details and under no circumstances make reference to being a police officer or display anything which clearly shows that they work for Police Scotland. All staff are advised to check their children’s websites for any such references.”
Officers have also been banned from posting pictures of colleagues without their permission.
Ten Police Scotland officers who allegedly shared offensive content over WhatsApp in 2016 lost a legal battle at the Court of Session in June to stop disciplinary action against them.
The Scottish Police Federation plans to appeal the ruling. Deputy general secretary David Kennedy said: “That finding seems to be saying that police officers do not have a private life. That could have a detrimental effect on not just the police but anyone in the public eye.”
