London, Nov 10 A Brit gun cop has been axed from his elite unit for posting naked pictures on the Internet, and for leaving himself open to blackmail.

Some of the pictures showed PC Malcolm Thomas, 40, as aroused, while in others he was seen showing off a tattoo above his bare bottom, with details of his sick desires addressed to a woman he met on an adult dating site.

The CO19 officer then took photographs of himself inside his HQ in South London and emailed them to her under the name of "funboybobby", and one picture showed him in his uniform and body armour, with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.

"Firearms officers must behave impeccably in their professional and personal life," the Sun quoted a senior Met source as saying.

"They cannot lay themselves open to blackmail or disclose information that could put them or their colleagues at risk.

"Armed officers keep surveillance on terrorists and serious criminal suspects. It is not appropriate that their most personal details should be open for anyone to view," the source stated.

In his profile, PC Thomas described himself as being "very adventurous" and "very dominant", and he also blabbed about police operations.

Using his personal email address he boasted about being at the scene in Chelsea last year when lawyer Mark Saunders, 32, was shot dead by marksmen after firing a shotgun from his flat.

"It is utterly outrageous that a firearms officer should talk about sensitive police operations in this context," an angry police source said.

PC Thomas was removed from the firearms unit over "serious concerns" about his judgement, and the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has launched an investigation. (ANI)