A DETECTIVE was caught with his pants down at a dogging blackspot by stunned cops.
Mark Gifford, 43, was half-nude when he was nicked by two colleagues in an undercover sting.
He was done for indecency near his home in Longniddry, East Lothian.
A source said: “His job’s on the line.”
Shamed detective Mark Gifford was nicked when he invited two undercover cops into toilets at a dogging hotspot — and stripped off to flash his bum at them.
The seedy dad of two is understood to have tapped on the window of a car parked at the secluded beachfront late at night and beckoned a man and woman to follow him.
They found Gifford, 43, in the gents with his trousers and pants round his ankles and his backside exposed — and promptly nicked him as part of a public sex sting operation.
Our insider said last night: “He obviously had no idea they were undercover cops there to check what was going on in the evenings.
“They followed his instructions and found him in the toilets where he was semi-naked. He was arrested at the scene.”
They went on: “There was a bit of shock when they discovered Gifford was a serving cop.
“It was the talk of the division and he quickly stopped performing his full duties.
“It’s shocking that a cop would do these things in public.”
Gifford’s career is understood to be in the balance after he was convicted of public indecency at Edinburgh Sheriff Court over the incident at Longniddry Bents beach, East Lothian.
Court papers stated he “did commit an act of public indecency in that your trousers were lowered and your buttocks exposed.”
He was fined £300 by Sheriff Nigel Ross but is understood to be appealing his conviction.
A report is due to be sent to the Deputy Chief Constable for Police Scotland to consider how to proceed.
The source added: “He is now on restricted duties and the bosses will need to decide what happens next.
“It is understood that an offence of this type would stop someone joining the force so I don’t think the future looks good for him.”
Gifford is believed to have worked as a PC and was seconded to a detective role with CID at the time of his arrest.
He declined to comment at his home in Longniddry last night.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A serving officer was charged in connection with a public indecency in the Longniddry area, which took place on Saturday, February 13.
“He was immediately put on restricted duties pending the outcome of the court case.
“He was found guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday, September 14.
A report will be submitted to the Deputy Chief Constable for their consideration.”
The dogging craze has replaced ’70s-style swinging parties, with randy punters risking the law to have sex in public while strangers watch and join in.
Gillian Stalker, 40, and John McDougall, 48, were nabbed romping in a beachfront car park in Irvine, Ayrshire, in 2008, watched by an eager crowd.
Countryfile fans were in stitches after an episode of the show had a segment which featured innuendos and references to "dogging".
The pair — who were both married — pled guilty to public indecency at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after claiming they’d simply “got carried away”. Last year Murdo McKenzie, 65, was nabbed performing a solo sex act in front of two shocked cops at a dogging hotspot.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard he was caught as he walked up to the officers’ car near the town’s notorious Glennifer Braes. Seedy website Swinging Heaven lists a car park at Cowdenbeath FC’s Central Park ground as a late-night hook-up haunt in Fife.
The same site also claims Cathkin Braes and Strathclyde Park, near Glasgow, and a secluded lay-by outside Lockerbie are popular for the X-rated activity.
Earlier this summer a sign was spotted on a golf course warning locals of the dangers of a “disgusting pervert” who hopes to tempt people into dogging.
It was seen near Barnehurst Golf Course near Dartford in Kent and describes a 5ft4 “blonde and dumpy” woman who seems friendly but then makes advances which are sexually motivated.
Last month Countryfile presenter Joe Crowley had viewers of the show in stitches after some seriously funny innuendos in the show, including dogging.
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