S. African police turn to social media in fighting crime

The South African Police Service (SAPS) said on Thursday that it has taken advantage of social media to fight crime.

The SAPS said there has been a significant growth in its social media presence and has reached a following of 150,000 on Twitter and 60,000 on Facebook.

This milestone keeps the SAPS, which joined this popular social media platform in April 2012, ahead of some of its international counterparts in the United Kingdom, as well as some states in the United States and South Australia.

The SAPS's Twitter handle has come a long way since its inception and is currently growing at a rate of about 5,000 followers per month.

The active social media presence enables the SAPS to communicate with communities directly and in real time and mobilise them in the fight against crime, a SAPS statement said.

The SAPS Twitter account is also used to complement traditional platforms to track the whereabouts of criminals.

"We are very pleased that we've reached this milestone. Congratulations to the team for their hard work. Over the last few months we have been working very hard to improve the content we share and the speed at which we share it. We are not yet where we would like to be but we are doing very well and I believe that all the initiatives that we've put in place and enhancement that we will soon be rolling out will bear fruit," said Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale, Head of SAPS Corporate Communication.

Colonel Dimakatso Mokwena, recently appointed to supervise the SAPS social media platforms, explained that with 150, 000 followers on Twitter, the SAPS handle estimates that over two million people are reached, thanks to tweeps who help spread their messages.

"Social media has empowered our followers to safely contribute and to actively participate in the fight against crime. Our Twitter account allows us to have an interactive dialogue with our followers and share crime prevention tips, identify problem areas and improve our efficiency at station level," said Mitzi Ebersohn, who is part of the SAPS's social media team.

"We post information about the tangible results of our operations, such as items seized and arrested suspects, without showing their faces in line with their constitutional rights. By law the identity of suspects cannot be revealed until they appear in court," she said.

The 150,000 mark is a milestone for the SAPS. "This is a major achievement for us. The beauty of it is that we are able to engage with the public directly, explain where clarity is needed and empower communities about the work that we do," Makgale said.

Most importantly, Makgale said, the Twitter account gives police the opportunity to share information with the public and offers police the platform to demystify some of the widely-held misconceptions about criminal procedure and the mandate of the SAPS.

"We remain committed to continue to use this platform to offer an improved service to communities and we therefore refuse to be distracted by people hiding behind pseudonyms who use this platform as a launch pad to mount irrational and spurious attacks on the integrity of the SAPS," added Makgale. Endi