Content posted on the internet by citizen journalists could place the emergency services in danger, according to a security expert for the fire service.

In an article about the rise of the citizen journalist in Fire, a magazine for the fire service, security correspondent Dr Dave Sloggett also said that people taking pictures on their mobile phones after terrorist attacks could inadvertently help terrorists.

Said Dr Sloggett: “In London in July 2005 within minutes of the bus bombing at Tavistock Square citizen journalists were recording the immediate recovery of bodies by the emergency services.

“The main media channels were quick to note reporting from the bystanders that claimed to be seeing ten covered bodies at the scene. At the time the announcements emerging from the command teams responding to the incident were briefly, and understandably, out of kilter with what the citizen journalists were reporting on the ground.

“When such events occur it can appear that the command team is out of touch with the reality on the ground. For an anxious public seeking reassurance this is a point of vulnerability for command teams.”

He added that terrorists who attacked Mumbai in 2008 altered their tactics after downloading content uploaded by citizen journalists on their mobile phones.

Added Dr Sloggett: “On the one hand it can be a great help in developing intelligence and forensic insight in the aftermath of an event but on the other it can also place people in the emergency services in danger.

“It can also create uncertainty in the minds of the public about the extent to which the emergency services are coping with the event itself.

“For the emergency services, planning for the Olympics, this is an urgent issue. ”