Officers joined in the antics surrounding the American release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens by admitting that, while it is not a criminal offence to post spoilers, it should be.

They later posed for photographs with fans dressed as stormtroopers who were being “arrested”.

The news comes as dozens of over-zealous Star Wars fans – Members of the Alliance to Preserve the Expanded Universe – have threatened “spoiler jihad” relating to the new film on social media unless Disney gives in to their demands to film the “expanded universe” stories – the non-canonical material associated with Star Wars.