3 replies to this topic

[Lord Vader]

Folks,

A reminder that there are conditions of use for all users of the PoliceSpecials.com forum.

Please take a moment to review them here.

There is a disclaimer which basically says that you are legally responsible for anything you post on this forum. To read this disclaimer, click on Forum Guidelines/Disclaimer/Legal Notices. The link is also found at the top right of every forum page.

In addition, remember the internet is a public network. You never know who might read your posts. So please do not post anything here which could show you or your force in a poor light. And never post confidential or operational information here! If in doubt, do not post it!

When copying material from another website, please be sure to post the original URL (web address) and source. This is because we don't own the copyright on copied material and must acknowledge the source - and therefore the copyright owner - in this way.

Members who ignore these guidelines will be suspended, and may be banned from the forum.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit heavy handed, but it's a big case of CYA... cover your ass! It's not an effort to stop any of the light-hearted or fun postings that have been going on (we leave that sort of censorship to other forums ) but it is important that all forum users realise their legal responsibilities.

[Lord Vader]

I've recently updated our rules and conditions of use for the forum... not in reaction to any particular incident or situation, but just as an attempt to pull together forum guidance on best practice, particularly for serving officers.

Please take a moment to review them here. Your continued participation on the forum assumes you have read and agreed to these rules.

By the way they're not horribly strict or restrictive rules, more like common sense... but necessary to protect all users of the forum from legal action!

Any problems or questions please just ask. Thanks.

[Lord Vader]

Folks, our new-look forum still has the same rules and conditions of use, so if you've never read them, please take a moment to do so now (using the links in the messages above).

There's also a disclaimer (you can get to it by clicking on "Disclaimer" at the top right of every forum screen) which basically says you are responsible and liable for anything you write... so be good

Again, just a gentle reminder, not a response to anything in particular that's happened on the forum recently.

Cheers

[Lord Vader]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The time has come for another reminder about the importance of being mindful of what you write here on the forum.

Remember, once you click that "add reply" button your post is instantly readable by everybody on the entire planet with an internet connection. The internet is the ultimate "public domain" - even if you posted it, then edited or deleted it immediately, your original message would still be stored somewhere.

So a moment's pause before posting is always a good thing. Re-read what you've written. Would you be happy for your best friend, mum or Chief Constable to read it? Or might it be something you'd regret later?

Another thing to remember is that on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog... no, I haven't gone mad -- this is a line from a very famous cartoon first published in the New Yorker in 1993. What it means is, you never know who you are "talking" to on the internet. While the huge majority of our users here are bone fide, genuine people with an interest in discussing all things police, very occasionally there will be people on here who are pretending to be something they are not, in order perhaps to incite officers to make comments that they may later regret.

I am not for a moment suggesting that we all get extremely suspicious of each other all of a sudden! But a little care in answering what might at first seem like innocuous questions could save a lot of heartache later. I know of an incident on another police-related site where people with a particular agenda posted questions on their forum and got police officers to answer (in good faith of course). Those comments were later used in a way the officers never intended and a number of them got grief from their forces as a result. Let's make sure that doesn't happen here.

I am posting the above not in response to any particular threat (I sound a bit like the Home Office yet again!) but as a general reminder of everyone's responsibilities here on the forum. Any problems or concerns then please contact me or any of the moderators.

Thanks

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