Bobbies on the tweet will know what the word is on the street

POLICE in Scotland are to pilot a novel solution to improvingcommunications between bobbies and the public - by tweeting on thebeat.

As part of a three-month pilot scheme, beat officers in Taysidewill be providing a flow of information to the communities theyserve on a range of policing issues through the micro-messagingwebsite Twitter.

The tweets will include up-dates on police surgeries, crimeprevention advice, road and traffic information, campaigns, andother policing issues.

The pilot project in Auchterarder, Crieff and Kinross is thebrainchild of Gordon Scobbie, the force's Deputy Chief Constable,who is a leading advocate of the use of social networking sites suchas Twitter and Facebook in developing a "virtual community policing"policy.

Mr Scobbie, who is national lead officer for digital and socialmedia engagement within the police service, said: "Tayside Policehas frequently been at the forefront of new policing methods and wehave already experimented with social media to good effect on anumber of occasions. For example, during a recent spate of suicidesin the Dundee area we used Facebook as an effective way of engagingwith friends of the young people involved.

"Effective engagement is at the heart of policing in Tayside. Therevolution in digital technology means that people are engaging withservices at their own convenience and in the manner, medium and at atime which suits them.

"Many forces are now realising that traditional methods ofgetting messages out, which we have relied on in the past, arehaving less impact and are reaching fewer people.

"Simply 'broadcasting' messages by whichever channel, is nolonger enough. What really makes a difference is giving people theopportunity to engage in a two-way conversation with the policeabout things that matter to them.

"Social networking has exploded globally with sites such asFacebook and Twitter having over 150 million users worldwide, halfof whom use the service on a daily basis.

"Easy access to technology, inexpensive 'always on' broadbandconnections and the growing use of mobile internet means that anonline presence is part of our everyday lives."

A force spokeswoman added: "As part of Tayside Police's socialmedia experiment, the force is also trialling MyPolice, an onlinefeedback tool designed to enable the public to have an onlineconversation with the police.

"The MyPolice service offers those, who do not wish to contactthe force directly, an additional way to give feedback and opinionon policing in their area.

"Whilst information provided by the public is moderated by non-police personnel, it will be passed on to Tayside Police."