Friend request from boastful police on Facebook

Eighteen police officers have been disciplined after bragging on a social networking website about crashing cars and hitting pedestrians.

The Metropolitan Police officers joked about injuring members of the public on a site called Look I’ve Had a Pocol – slang for police collision.

One picture on the Facebook site, which had more than 200 members around the world before it was disbanded in January, showed a police vehicle in an accident with a small white car.

The officer 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 member wrote: “Ran over a drunk. I believe he has a permanent limp and a hefty payout. I was given a three-month holiday from job driving. Ooh, bummer.”

An investigation began in January after the site was brought to the attention of senior officers.

One picture showed a uniformed officer giving a thumbs-up next to a vehicle, which seemed to have hit a fallen tree.

Another picture featured the wreckage of a patrol car after it had mounted the pavement and collided with a lamppost.

Someone had written next to the picture: “Probably not best to be going 75 down it (a bus lane) . . . with stationary traffic in the (next) carriageway. Oh and a word of advice . . . 70mph + crash - seatbelts = broken nose.”

Another boasted that a colleague had four collisions in two years, stating that it was an “impressive record”. Readers were asked if they could beat it.

Sir Ian Blair, the Scotland Yard Commissioner, said at the time: “This behaviour is totally unacceptable. We will conduct a rigorous investigation to find those responsible.”

A spokesman for the Metropolitan police, said: “An investigation into the site by the Metropolitan Police’s Director of Professional Standards has been concluded.

“Fourteen officers received written warnings and four were given a speaking to. The warnings will remain on their records. Another five had unofficial words in their ear.”

He explained that the written warnings were for misconduct – that was “on the more serious end of the scale”, adding: “The evidence on the website was clear to see.” Not all of the officers disciplined were involved in crashes but may have helped to post the pictures or comments.

Last month a policeman who took his hands off the wheel to make thumbs-up gestures to a speed camera while he was responding to emergency calls was fined.

David Mayes, 34, was given the undisclosed fine by South Yorkshire Police at a misconduct hearing. He had already been banned from public duties by the police after the incident in Grenoside, Sheffield, in July. The camera captured Mayes driving at about 70mph in a 40mph zone twice in one hour.

The officer, from Barnsley, was also fined £400 and banned from driving for six months by Halifax Magistrates’ Court after he admitted two counts of careless driving.