Not very PC: 'Sexist' police cartoon shows female passenger gagged with seatbelt

Equality campaigners have slammed a ‘sexist’ cartoon posted on an official police twitter account, which appears to show a man gagging his wife with a seat belt.

Campaign groups and social media users blasted the post, which showed a female car passenger gagged and bound to her chair as the male driver looks smugly on.

Above the cartoon a banner read: ‘New Seatbelt design: 45% less car accidents!!’

The officer who uploaded the image wrote on the post to the Bordesley Green Police official Twitter account of West Midlands Police: ‘A car designer has won an award for designing a seatbelt which helps to cut down on vehicle noise pollution #IWantOne.’

The bungling bobbies were later forced to make a grovelling apology on the page - littered with spelling errors.

It read: ‘Apologese (sic) to any persons the last tweet upset it was but on as a bit of humour not meant to upset anybody apologese (sic) again.’

The officer is now being investigated by the force's Professional Standards Department.

The botched apology received a barrage of complaints on the social networking site with criticism from people based all over the UK and as far as Johannesburg in South Africa.

Chief executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge, Sandra Horley CBE, criticised the force’s ‘derogatory attitudes to women.’

In a statement she said: ‘I am disappointed that West Midlands Police tweeted this sexist image ­ and then tried to pass it off as a bit of ‘humour’.

‘Did the police officer who tweeted this image really think that women would laugh at this offensive sexist stereotype? Female members of the public deserve respect, not ridicule.

‘It is deeply disturbing that some police officers in West Midlands seem to possess such derogatory attitudes towards women.’

Labour MP for Birmingham's Ladywood constituency Shabana Mahmood added: ‘The police are responsible for helping to hold to account those who perpetrate domestic violence.

‘The fact that they have posted online a so-called joke which minimises the seriousness of this crime is both insulting and worrying.

‘If individuals within the police force don’t understand that it is not a laughing matter and ensure that they take domestic violence seriously then who will?’

Online campaign group End Misogyny confirmed the post will be appearing on its weekly updates of online sexist abuse.

A spokesperson said: ‘We see high volumes of misogyny and abuse here at End Online Misogyny (EOM) and very often such comments, many of which promote domestic and sexual violence, are made under the guise of so-called humour.

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‘It is however, extremely worrying to see a police account with nearly 1,000 followers and the following in their biography: 'Dedicated Neighbourhood Police Officers - Engaging with the communities of Bordesley Green and keeping all updated on local and wider issues,' tweet out such an endorsement of violence against women.’

After the incident, another Inspector, Karen Winfield, from Birmingham Police, said: ‘West Midlands Police has been at the forefront of encouraging officers and staff to use social media to directly engage and communicate with the public for many years.

‘An officer working on one of our neighbourhood accounts has tweeted a sexist and offensive picture which clearly breaches the force’s social media policy. The officer has been referred to our Professional Standards Department.

‘This was an inappropriate tweet, made by one member of staff, and it in no way reflects the views of the force.

‘All WMP social media users must sign up to a force policy before being able to tweet, which offers guidance and sets out the expectations for use.

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‘Social media can be an excellent way of communicating with local people and we trust our staff to tweet appropriately and sensibly, actively encouraging them to be engaging and friendly in their posts. However occasionally mistakes are made and we apologise for any offence caused by this inappropriate use of one of our accounts.’

The incident is the second time in less than six months the force has been accused of being sexist.

In February this year domestic violence victims slammed the force after it was revealed that sickening and abusive voice messages had been left by two officers left on the mobile of a 19-year-old Sutton Coldfield woman.

The female had called police to say she had been a victim of domestic abuse.