Law firm under attack for revealing unmarked police car details

An Ayrshire firm of solicitors has caused controversy through posting on its Facebook page details of unmarked police cars operaing in the area.

The Sunday Mail quoted police and the road safety organisation Brake as condemning Irvine practice Matthew Brown Solicitors for twice posting model, colour and registration details of vehicles, the first time expressly stating the purpose of the vehicle and on the second occasion writing "drivers might want to be aware... nudgenudge".

The posts appeared to be popular with visitors to the page, but Andrea MacDonald, chairwoman of the Scottish Police Federation, described them as "a frankly idiotic thing for an apparently professional organisation to do". Gary Rae of Brake called the posting "irresponsible [as it] potentially compromises the safety of the police officers and the public".

Partner Simon Brown, a member of the Law Society of Scotland's Council, replied: "We take the welfare of our clients seriously and do whatever we can to keep them on the right side of the law." The posts "advise people to be aware of unmarked police vehicles and to drive safely".

The firm has since posted a response on its Facebook page.