We already have a long standing police procedure in place that prohibits ASIO, SRT and higher ranking officers to join a rebel gang, cartel, etc.
^I think those restrictions are fair and do not need to be altered. @TrueBlue - That procedure serves the points you have made in here.
However, if the aforementioned groups wish to enjoy playing some civilian I have been more than happy to allow that. Are civilians capable of robbing other people? Yes there are. Are civilians capable of robbing a bank? Damn straight they are. Civilians can legally purchase firearms so they have the option of engaging in criminal activity.
Rebels are NOT the only role play group that are capable of robbing a bank. A civilian using a legal firearm and civilian clothing does not amount to a rebel. There a plenty of great role play reasons for a civilian to engage in criminal activity. @Tiggati - Has expressed to me that cops should have the freedom to enjoy civilian for what it has to offer. If a cop playing civ is going to be considered "off duty" in role play terms, Tiggati has some awesome ideas as to how it could be role played out in terms of punishment if caught.
The server needs to be fair but also fun, if you take the "fun" out of it with ridiculous restrictions people will not play.