Another day, another PC playing the fool as crimes go unsolved...
THEIR chief constable has complained they face unprecedented pressure.
But officers at Cambridgeshire Police still found the time for this silly Halloween stunt.
The picture – showing a PC wearing a Frankenstein’s monster mask behind bars – was branded ‘stupid’ after the force posted it online yesterday.
Other images included the officer standing outside an interview room and sitting behind a desk.
One picture was captioned: ‘Strange things happen on the night shift. From the darkness of the cells comes PC Frankenstein.’
It comes less than two weeks after the Daily Mail revealed police had been criticised for wasting time on gimmicks such as officers painting nails to raise awareness of modern-day slavery, as well as wearing bear masks and going on fairground dodgems.
Mike Townley, 53, whose Cambridgeshire home was broken into earlier this year by a burglar who was never caught, said: ‘I was under the impression these officers were run off their feet. They should be out fighting crime, not taking stupid pictures of themselves. If they want to dress up for Halloween they should do it in their own time, not when they’re on duty. They should be doing what they’re paid for.’
In July it emerged that Cambridgeshire Police, which is facing a budget deficit of £10million over three years, had experienced a large rise in recorded crime.
Earlier this year, Chief Constable Alec Wood complained: ‘Demand for our services has never been higher and this is putting pressure on our control room and the front line. At times of high demand, a number of officers and staff are having to work long hours, having rest days cancelled and dealing with a high volume of incidents.’
It comes as most types of crime are on the rise, with knife offences up a quarter while nine in ten home burglaries go unsolved.
Cambridgeshire Police admitted the Halloween photos did not appear to be ‘an appropriate use of time’ and said it was investigating. A spokesman said the pictures were taken after officers had finished their shifts.