HUNDREDS of police officers are caught looking at pornography, wasting time on Facebook at work and "editing" speeding tickets on force computers each year.
Almost 150 police workers have been forced to resign after being disciplined for computer misuse in the last five years - and 46 have been sacked, new figures reveal.
Dozens have been disciplined for looking at X-rated images or installing games to play on when they should be working.
Opponents said that police should stop larking around on their computers and catch criminals instead.
Other officers have been caught using the Police National Computer system illegally to snoop on their neighbours, ex-partners and friends
Investigated
A total of 2,383 employees have been investigated for computer misuse since 2005 - and the number of people caught breaking the rules is increasing annually.
The number of investigations has rocketed more than 50 per cent in just three years from 398 in 2005 to 600 in 2008, the latest year for which complete figures are available.
It was revealed that some 30 pornographic pictures and videos were found stored on a police computer during a routine ICT system health check in 2008.
But the workers escaped with a telling off.
And ten Cheshire Police workers have been carpeted for using social networking sites.
While a Northamptonshire Police Constable was dismissed for sending inappropriate, harassing and abusive texts and e-mails at work following an investigation in December 2006.
The figures are made public for the first time under the Freedom of Information Act.
The request was submitted to all 52 police forces in Britain but four forces - Gwent, Thames Valley, West Yorkshire and Avon and Somerset - didn't bother to reply.
Wasting time on Facebook is unforgivable
