Twitterthon to give unique insight into policing

News from our partners West Mercia Police

Police in West Mercia will give the public a live insight into how officers patrol town and city centres during the Spring Bank Holiday’s busiest night-time period.

Officers across Shropshire, Herefordshire, Telford and Wrekin and Worcestershire will use twitter to give a running commentary on policing experience between 9pm on Saturday 25 May 2013 and 6am the following morning (Sunday 26 May).

They will be joining police colleagues across the country in a national social media ‘twitterthon’ aimed at raising awareness of alcohol and the impact it has on local communities. 

Tweets will be under the hashtag #alcoholharm.  Follow West Mercia Police’s force-wide account @wmerciapolice for more information about who will be tweeting in each local policing area on the night.

The nine-hour period over the Bank Holiday promises to be one of the busiest weekends of the year, with extra police on duty in main centres to ensure people can enjoy a night out without fear of violence or disorder.

Assistant Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said:

“We are making greater use of social media as a means of engaging with the public.  We recognise it provides an effective and instant form of communication with local people.”

He said the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) was encouraging police forces nationwide to take part in the weekend twitterthon event, following several successful tweeting sessions by individual senior officers in different parts of the country.

The Association highlighted Superintendent James Tozer, West Mercia’s Shropshire commander, as one of those who used twitter to good effect.  He attracted widespread media coverage for a series of tweets while on duty in Shrewsbury town centre on New Year’s Eve. 

One newspaper commented: “What Mr Tozer did in taking the decision to tweet from the streets was not only give people an insight into the work of local bobbies, but also present a human side to policing.  By engaging in social media in such a way, he provided a valuable link to the boys and girls in blue.”

Mr Morgan said it was important to keep people informed, while at the same time giving advice and tips on personal safety. 

“I hope members of the public see it as a positive move and I am sure they will be quick to respond to some of our tweets.  We will be able to convey information on all manner of things, including public safety and the prevention of crime and disorder.”

He stressed the police tweets would be balanced and not just focussing on the negative aspects of alcohol. 

“We hope to explore opportunities to celebrate the successes of the night-time economy while also presenting a balanced impression of the negative impact alcohol misuse can generate.

“Nearly 50 per cent of all violent crime is alcohol-related, and excessive drinking clearly increases a person’s likelihood of committing a crime or becoming a victim of crime.  I hope the weekend’s twitter activity will provide a real insight into the demands on policing and highlight the impact alcohol can have on people’s lives.”

Mr Morgan added:

“We will also be urging our partners to link in and retweet our messages.  At the end of the evening, we hope to have given a snapshot of policing and public activity in a number of town and city centres across West Mercia.

“As always we will undoubtedly face a variety of challenges, but the bottom line is we want local people to be able to enjoy their Bank Holiday night out in safety.  To this end, we will have sufficient officers on duty to deal with any incidents of disorder.”