PC's comment about Tiktoker was 'inappropriate'

A police and crime commissioner says a constable who was filmed calling a TikToker "a bit noncey" was "inappropriate".

A complaint was made to Merseyside Police after the video, which was circulated on TikTok and X, appeared to show the police officer using the phrase to describe the TikToker's actions as they filmed.

Merseyside police and crime commissioner Emily Spurrell told BBC Radio Merseyside the PC did not "uphold the kind of standards and professionalism that we would come to expect".

She said she expected officers and staff "to behave professionally" and the officer had "committed to do better going forward".

Ms Spurrell said it was frustrating because officers were "doing incredibly difficult jobs under intense scrutiny, with mobile phones up every two minutes".

'They make mistakes'

She said scrutiny was important, "but I think we have to recognise they make mistakes and she did on this occasion and it was an inappropriate way to speak to that person".

Ms Spurrell added: "That has been acknowledged and it has been dealt with, as it should be."

She said it was absolutely right police were held accountable for how their powers were used.

Ms Spurrell said it was about a balance between "holding them accountable, making sure they are using those powers responsibly and supporting them to do their job in the best way they can".

Merseyside Police confirmed an officer was facing a review by its professional standards department after the video was circulated online.

In the video, circulated on social over the weekend of 25 and 26 October, the officer appears to say to a member of the public: "Do you have a problem?" before adding "you just... want to video people... bit noncey that, mate".

The force said they expected "the highest standards of conduct and values from all our officers" and would provide further updates after the review.