A POLICE OFFICER in the UK has managed to escape with her job still intact after sharing an ill-advised joke about the family of Madeleine McCann on social media.
48-year-old Paula Manos shared a screenshot to her Facebook account of a text which read: "I need a holiday so much I'd be willing to go away with the McCanns at this point."
Her bosses investigated the issue after it was reported, though they decided not to fire Ms Manos, instead saying that she would be encouraged to "reflect and learn from the issue".
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Constabulary said that while the action does "fall short of standards of behaviour expected by the public and police," it failed to "meet the threshold of misconduct" in order for her to be fired from her job.
They added that the incident will be dealt with under the "practice requires improvement" process.
"The officer is expected to engage with a review process in which they are encouraged to reflect and learn from the issue," the spokesperson added.
"This policy is guided by the shared values which are expressed in the Code of Ethics and the standards which reflect public expectation on how those in policing should behave.
"Our Professional Standards Department have been made aware of the post and will be looking into them further."
Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, in Portugal back in May, 2007.
Recent reports have linked her disappearance to a German man who is believed to have been in the area at the time she vanished.
German police looking to solve the 13-year hunt for her kidnapper said they hope to wrap up the case "within months" earlier this week.
