To think a police officer should have more sense?

[nappyaddict]

I have just seen a police officer say on his Facebook page "has finally got my car to move and has now found a great big fucking scratch on the door, pikeys....."

Police Officers are entitled to opinions and rants too you know.

But to blame it on "pikeys" when a) he doesn't know this to be definitely true and b) use an offensive term such as pikeys is wrong and seems a bit stupid to me when you are a police officer.

Oh dear. Having a rant is one thing. Airing prejudice on FB another. Really stupid

Assume you are on his FB as a friend?

He is human, just because he is a copper doesn't mean he can't have an opinion.

he could have used so many other terms - Bastards, gits, knobs, etc.

he didn't have to use a term that is known to be racially abusive.

YANBU

Making a racist comment on a public website is foolish and if anyone reports him, he is in bother.

Fabby - it's not an opinion - it's racist. He is a public servant and his employers will care about that

Is pikey definitely a racist term? I know it's previously has traveller/gypsy connections but I thought it had moved more towards generally meaning "chav" or "the sort of lowlife person likely to scratch someone's car for no good reason".

Not sure you justify the racist terminology, altinkum.

altinkum, that makes no difference! If I had been burgled by a black person, say, does that then make it alright to call all black people n from then on?

Hmmm i have a few ' friends' on fb who are police officers, and i have seen similar comments, some a lot worse than that. Unfortunatly once the uniform comes off the true colours are shown. (In some case's)

YANBU. He should be reported for it.

Yes it's definitely racist. Even the Oxford English Dictionary says "Now considered offensive. (Their italics.)

People post all kinds of nasty stuff on facebook. Why should police officers be any different?

That's not what you said actually.

A lot of coppers are racist, doesn't make it wrong it's a personal opinion.

Pikeys where I come from does not refer to any specific group of people, just a term for scum.

I think you overreact and if you are a friend of his on FB he should reconsider you as a friend, as a mate you wouldn't be on here saying something about it.

Fabbychic - seriously? It doesn't make it wrong?? Wtf?

I thought pikey was now the same as chav. Didn't think it referred to the traveller community necessarily. Just JJB Sports wearing gits.

Actually a racist opinion is a wrong opinion especially when you make it in a public setting.
It's against the law to make racist statements.

So it's OK to be racist if it's a personal opion, Fabby? When you're working for the police? FFS.

I have to agree with Rebeccaruby

Also are travellers a race? Or a lifestyle?

actually they aren't allowed an opinion like that on FB, police sign a contract about things such as facebook use and can be dismissed for writing comments like that.

I agree that it's an offensive term but it's not racist.