A police officer in Leshan, Sichuan province was dismissed from his post for taking his girlfriend for a joyride on a police self-balancing vehicle, Chengdu-based Huaxi Metropolis Newspaper reported on Thursday.

The officer, surnamed Xu, was seen riding the marked patrol vehicle with his girlfriend on Tuesday. The high-tech Segway-style vehicle is widely used for police patrols in densely populated areas.

Netizens took photos of the officer and his girlfriend and posted them on the Internet, causing much controversy. Some said it was a romantic act while others believed it improper to use a police vehicle for private matters.

The police bureau where the officer worked responded on Tuesday, saying the officer had been dismissed. It also promised to tighten management of police vehicles, to prevent similar cases from happening again, the report said.