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| Community Support Officer, Ian Stubbs |
South Yorkshire police have begun to use social networking sites to report crime rates to the local public.
Police Community Support Officer, Ian Stubbs, of Woodseats Safer Neighbourhood team has been using social networking sites Twitter and Facebook since October 2010.
Ian Stubbs, known as @KEInspector on Twitter, regularly updates the public on the crime statistics in the area over the last 24hours. Yesterday he tweeted: ‘Assisted Sheffield Homes to evict a tenant from Spring Close View yesterday. Hopefully peace will now return for the residents.’
Stubbs said that Twitter has become an important part of his job. “My role as Community Inspector is to reassure the public and I think tweeting helps this. I think fear often far exceeds the reality of what is actually happening and if we tell people the truth then that tends to address the concerns the public have.”
So far the community support officer has 350 followers on Twitter and 234 friends on Facebook who regularly reply to his posts with messages of appreciation.
Fiona Wainwright of Helmton Road, who has a daughter, aged 7, said: “I regularly look at the safer neighbourhood page as it is reassuring knowing the streets are being patrolled by a community support officer when my young child is walking to school. I appreciate knowing what crime has occurred in the area.”
Fiona Wainwright of Helmton Road, who has a daughter, aged 7, said: “I regularly look at the safer neighbourhood page as it is reassuring knowing the streets are being patrolled by a community support officer when my young child is walking to school. I appreciate knowing what crime has occurred in the area.”
As Twitter and Facebook obtain more and more followers daily, South Yorkshire police have currently trained 16 officers to use social network sites. However as technology becomes ever growing the figures are presumed to rise.
Tony Dobson of Fraser Road, Woodseats, was not aware of the Twitter and Facebook sites. “I think it’s a really great idea however evidently it needs publicising in our area more. The more local people who are made aware of crime the more that can be done to prevent it. I will be sure to join the sites and inform others of the good work Ian Stubbs is doing in Woodseats.”
You can follow Ian Stubbs on Facebook and @KEInspector on Twitter.
Verity MacGregor
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