A Tinder profile showing a half-naked man dressed in a stab vest with a police hat covering his genitals is not an officer, Merseyside Police have confirmed.

Dr Rebecca Tidy tweeted a screenshot of the profile to Devon and Cornwall Police after coming across it on the dating app this week.

According to the profile, his name is Liam, aged 34, and based in the south west of England.

Dr Rebecca Tidy shared the image with the comment: “Hey @DC_Police. One of your lot? I decided against swiping right.”

An investigation was launched by the local force but later discovered the uniform shown in the picture belonged to Merseyside Police – which had already investigated the image in May 2020.

The force said in a statement: “The image was reported to the Professional Standards Department at Merseyside Police in May 2020 when it appeared on social media after it had been shared on a dating app.

“Following an investigation it was established that the man pictured was not – and has never been – a police officer or a member of police staff.

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“The man was wearing police equipment belonging to a serving Merseyside Police officer in the photograph.

“The officer was not present at the time the photograph was taken or aware it was being taken.

“He was given advice by our Professional Standards Department and the man who posted the image on a dating app later removed it on the officer’s request.”

After referring the case to Merseyside, Devon and Cornwall Police said in their own statement: “Our dedicated Professional Standards Department thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct by anyone employed by the force.

“It is essential that police officers and staff act with respect, professionalism and integrity at all times and that as a force we take swift and robust action to investigate anyone whose behaviour falls short of those high standards.”

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