More police take to Twitter

THERE HAS been a surge in tweeting police officers and the police should use Twitter more, according to a lecturer at a Westminster Eforum this morning.

Dr Paul Reilly, media and communication lecturer at the University of Leicester said, "There has been a massive surge in the number of police officers tweeting," adding that since the riots the number of police officers on Twitter has grown to 632.

"Every territorial force now has a Twitter feed as part of steps being taken to use this tool to engage and provide accurate information and stop rumours circulating," he added.

Reilly was speaking in a session about police and social media, discussing how to prevent another event like the London riots experienced in the UK last Summer.

He said that police could have used Twitter and Facebook to quell false rumours that were spread over the social networks at the time, causing unnecessary panic.

"There were rumours on Twitter about fires and animals running in the streets and it's useful for police to be able to quell those rumours so as not to cause panic," he said.

Reilly added that there should be a guide of practice for how police can use services such as Twitter and Facbook, and "deepen their understanding".

He spoke against Government discussions about shutting down social media, saying, "If we are going to condemn those [other nations] who try to shut off social media there is a contradiction if we try and censor social media. But maybe the police can use these platforms to reassure." µ