Star comment: The perils of social media use

Our bobbies are just that – human, and they are not always going to match the rigorous standards that we all apply to the UK police force.

But there's a good reason for us to subject the force to that level of scrutiny, interrogation, expectation and, occasionally, criticism.

We want a force that is serving the public good, where we feel that they are on our side and are treating every case with the gravitas and dignity that it commands.

Everyone must feel secure in the fact that officers are taking their cases seriously, and when social media becomes a breeding ground for idle chit chat, the bonds of trust that exist between victims and members of the service are stretched to breaking point.

The seriousness of the officers' transgressions have not been fully revealed, but there are hints within the statistics that some of the cases represent more than mere slips of the fingers.

Indeed, two members of West Mercia police have since handed in their badges after displaying inappropriate behaviour online.

Before we get too heavily involved in finger wagging, though, we should also use this as an opportunity to take stock of what we can all learn about the perils of social media.

This is not venting to your friends in the pub, it's not calling a family member to let off steam about something that has got your goat – this is broadcasting your thoughts to a potential audience of billions of people all over the world.

These officers know that, but still let their thoughts loose in the public domain, and were rightly disciplined for doing so.

So it's entirely right that a new code of conduct is being brought in to give guidance to people who really ought to know better.

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and all the other social media sources that exist present huge dangers for people whose professionalism and integrity are so pivotal to the work that they do.

Whether they ought to know better or not, and regardless of whether we forgive them a moment's humanity, a properly compiled guide for officers ought to ensure that loose words cost far fewer professional lives.