Police selfie warning after alleged plot
WA's 6000 police officers have been told to stop posting "selfies" and other personal information on social media to avoid becoming targets for terrorists.
After arrests in Victoria on Saturday, police said officers in that State were to be targeted at Anzac Day commemorations this week as part of an alleged Islamic State- inspired terror plot.
WA's Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Brown said despite repeated warnings, he was concerned that some officers were still revealing far too much information about themselves on social media sites.
He said that information was potentially putting their lives at risk and also those of their family and friends connected to them online.
"They (officers) are not paying enough regard to their personal safety by doing things like posting photographs of themselves in uniform, sometimes even at work," Mr Brown said.
"That causes me concern because it also exposes their friends, their family and their associates."
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Australian law enforcement agencies were placed on a higher terror alert level in January after it was revealed that an attack on police was considered likely.
Officers were warned at the time to stop wearing their uniforms when travelling to and from work, especially when alone in cars or using public transport.
Operational officers must also now carry their firearms when on active duty.
Weapons will soon also be allowed to be carried inside court buildings.
Mr Brown stressed that security agencies were yet to identify any specific threats against a WA-based officer.
But he said it was a timely reminder that everyone needed to remain vigilant in the current climate.
"My biggest fear in this whole space is for the community and police officers to become complacent," Mr Brown said.
The WA Police Union has also urged officers to consider having their names removed from all government-controlled databases such as the electoral roll and the Landgate system to make it harder for terrorists and criminals to track them down. For a small fee, Landgate allows members of the public to search its database for properties owned by other individuals.
But the union says of bigger concern is the lack of secure parking offered to its members at some police facilities, including the new Perth Police Complex in Northbridge.
