PSNI officer held over alleged sectarian, sexist and racist tweets

Investigators examining claims of social media misuse within a force have arrested an officer. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer has been held over allegedly using Twitter to distribute sectarian, sexist and racist remarks. The detention follows Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) Dr Michael Maguire “calling himself in” after being made aware of allegations this summer. In a statement the PONI said: “He [the officer] is being questioned as part of an investigation into the alleged misuse of social media by a serving police officer.” The Office of thePONI is understood to be dealing with a number of complaints from members of the public in relation to the alleged misuse of Twitter. They include concerns over abusive messages and also the leaking of confidential material. Last month, it emerged that around half a dozen PSNI officers and support staff were under investigation over allegations that they had posted racist, sexist and sectarian messages on Twitter and had potentially prejudiced criminal inquiries. The PSNI confirmed at the time that it was looking into the claims that those behind the tweets were serving officers. They are under investigation by the PSNI’s Professional Standards Department. It is understood the six PSNI officers or civilian support staff under investigation are all based in the greater Belfast area.