Cop probed for mocking teen on Facebook
A police officer in Halmstad, western Sweden is under investigation for misconduct after mocking a teenager on Facebook, referring to him as a "brat" who was "chewing asphalt" following a police chase.
The Swedish National Police Crimes Unit (Riksenheten för polismål), which deals with internal affairs, is investigating if the officer is guilty of misconduct for posting the derogatory comments.
The intoxicated teenager was riding a moped on a bike path in an attempt to escape the police. After a short pursuit he was apprehended and gave a positive breathalyzer test.
"A 17-year old brat made our night. We got 'the finger' when he pulled onto the narrow bike path with the moped. And then he was gone thinking 'yes'! No, no, no. About ten minutes later he was chewing asphalt," the policeman wrote on his private Facebook account.
The officer also published the surname of a convicted criminal, with the posts attracting comments and a number of likes from other officers.
The head of the Halmstad police force was unimpressed.
"We're civil servants and we're supposed to express ourselves as civil servants - irrespective of whether we do it on social media or not," police chief Ulf Bejrum told the Hallandsposten newspaper.
The local police force has subsequently published information about police values online.
TT/The Local/pr
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The Swedish National Police Crimes Unit (Riksenheten för polismål), which deals with internal affairs, is investigating if the officer is guilty of misconduct for posting the derogatory comments.
The intoxicated teenager was riding a moped on a bike path in an attempt to escape the police. After a short pursuit he was apprehended and gave a positive breathalyzer test.
"A 17-year old brat made our night. We got 'the finger' when he pulled onto the narrow bike path with the moped. And then he was gone thinking 'yes'! No, no, no. About ten minutes later he was chewing asphalt," the policeman wrote on his private Facebook account.
The officer also published the surname of a convicted criminal, with the posts attracting comments and a number of likes from other officers.
The head of the Halmstad police force was unimpressed.
"We're civil servants and we're supposed to express ourselves as civil servants - irrespective of whether we do it on social media or not," police chief Ulf Bejrum told the Hallandsposten newspaper.
The local police force has subsequently published information about police values online.
TT/The Local/pr
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