An increase of cases where crime is reported on social media has seen police make moves to collaborate with community Facebook groups.
The Queensland Police Service is calling on administrators and moderators of neighbourhood community Facebook groups across Queensland to provide input for an innovative new program aimed at creating safe, credible, and supportive online spaces.
The evidence-based ‘Digital Community Safety Champions’ (DCSC) pilot program is currently being developed in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney.
It builds on the success of the QPS Community Safety Champions initiative, which empowered local champions to engage residents in meaningful community safety conversations.
Inspector Alice Carnes from the Community Safety Group highlighted the importance of the project, which is being jointly funded by the QPS and Neighbourhood Watch Queensland.
“Increasingly, people are turning to social media to report and discuss crime and safety concerns in their communities,” Inspector Carnes said.
“While this can empower individuals and strengthen community bonds, it can also lead to unintended negative impacts, such as the spread of misinformation, creating fear, and discouraging people from reporting issues through official channels.”
The DCSC program will help equip neighbourhood Facebook group admins and moderators with the tools and resources they need to run safe, credible and supportive online community spaces, including to:
• Address community concerns and questions about crime and safety.
• Identify and respond to scams or harmful information.
• Share accurate and timely information to encourage positive crime prevention behaviours.
• Moderate or de-escalate content that breaches group rules.
• Build trusted relationships with QPS.
The University of Technology Sydney is conducting a survey to better understand the needs and preferences of group admins and moderators related to running safe, credible and supportive online groups. Workshops will also be held to co-design tailored resources and solutions.
“We’re looking forward to working directly with those managing these important online spaces,” Inspector Carnes added.
“Their insights are essential to designing a program that addresses their unique challenges and helps support community safety in online spaces.”
Neighbourhood community Facebook group admins and moderators across Queensland are invited to participate: bit.ly/DCSCSurvey
The survey will be live and open until 2 February.
Remember, crime incidents should be reported first to police, rather than social media so police officers can respond in a suitable and timely manner to that particular issue.
Report to police via 000 in an emergency, to Policelink on 131 444 to report non-urgent matters, or report crime information anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
