Lancashire Police has become the latest police force in the country to use the social networking website Facebook to communicate with residents and help combat crime.
The Facebook page, which can be found at www.facebook.com/lancspolice, is being officially launched today, Valentines Day with officers saying they would love local residents to log on to the social networking site and become a fan of the force.
They are appealing for anyone with affection for their community or a desire to know what’s being done to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour to visit the police site and click “like” to become a fan.
If they do, they will be the first to receive the latest news from Lancashire Police as well as details of what is being done to tackle local issues. They will also be able to help find wanted criminals and get updates on local incidents and operations, as well as receive news about initiatives and events being run by their local Neighbourhood Policing Teams.
The force is also sending Valentine e-cards to key contacts saying that Lancashire Police would love them to join the Facebook page.
The Valentine launch of the new Facebook page follows Lancashire Constabulary’s Twitter success – the force has over 2,000 Twitter followers via http://twitter.com/LancsPolice, making it amongst the most popular police Twitter feeds nationally.
The force also recently launched an online questionnaire, soliciting views about its work as part of its efforts to shape its response to demands from Government to cut its spending.
“As one of the country’s top performing police forces, Lancashire Constabulary is keen to remain at the forefront of technology and explore all avenues available to us to help keep residents informed and combat crime,” says Chief Superintendent Tim Jacques.
“We’re already using Twitter to keep people updated and to send out news and alerts and by joining Facebook, we aim to further extend our reach amongst local communities.”
He urged people to become a fan of the page saying: “It’s all going on here in Lancashire and from today, it’s all going on Facebook. Lancashire Police would love you to join us.
“Become a fan and you’ll benefit from “real-time,” information straight from the police. You’ll be the first to know what’s going on in your community and you’ll have a chance to work with us to help prevent and detect crime in your local area.”