A police union in southern Spain has threatened legal action after a TikTok video showing a Local Police officer using a mobile phone while driving a patrol car was widely shared online.

The footage, filmed from a motorcycle in La Linea de la Concepcion, in the Campo de Gibraltar, has already racked up tens of thousands of views on social media.

The clip was shared alongside the caption: ‘Caught on my internal camera. The law applies equally to everyone.

‘According to the DGT they put road safety at risk, and if it’s an emergency, use Bluetooth or pull over.’

It also included hashtags referencing La Linea, the Local Police, Spain’s traffic authority (DGT) and the word ‘corrupt’.

However, the Sindicato de la Policía Local de La Linea (SPLL) insists the officer committed no offence and says it is now preparing possible legal and criminal action against the person responsible for publishing the video.

In a statement, the union argued the officer was exempt from the normal mobile phone restrictions under article 18.2 of Spain’s General Traffic Regulations.

That clause states that members of the authorities carrying out their official duties are exempt from the standard prohibition on using mobile devices while driving.

The SPLL also accused the video uploader and some commenters of making ‘injurious statements’ against the officer, particularly over accusations of corruption.

The union further complained that the officer’s image had been published without consent and claimed the footage was shared with the intention of ‘humiliating and discrediting’ the policeman publicly.

The controversy has sparked debate online over whether emergency services and police should continue to benefit from exemptions allowing mobile phone use behind the wheel while on duty.

Spain introduced some of Europe’s strictest anti-phone driving penalties in recent years, with drivers caught using handheld devices facing heavy fines and the loss of licence points.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.