British Police Department Uses Facebook to Fight Crime

World News Leader BBC posted an article about a police force using an international social networking site to ask the public to help them find a murderer. Facebook.com, the world’s fastest expanding social networking site is not only used to help locate old friends, but a police force in Bristol, Britain has found a new use for it: catching murderers. In Great Britain, a young woman by the name of Jo Yeates disappeared on December 17 when returning home from going to a pub with friends. On her way home, she stopped at three shops and a pizza place. Evidence of receipts from stops on her way home was found in her flat, but there is no evidence of the pizza that she purchased on the way home. Police and officials responded to her disappearance by posting information about the case to their website which is linked into Facebook through their own Facebook group and various ads which are posted on the sides of pages. This effective way of spreading information is deemed efficient by the task force because they recognize that most people use and check Facebook every day. Though Jo Yeates body was found on Christmas Day, the murder is still on the loose. Police are now once again turning to their Facebook page to ask for aid in catching the killer. By allowing pictures, up to date case information, and discussion boards to be easily viewed and on-the-go cell phone accessible, the Avon and Somerset Police Department has demonstrated their tech savvy use of social media tools to help find the murderer and put him/her to justice.

I found it interesting that the police are utilizing Facebook to update the public and ask for their help on solving this murder case. Over this course, we’ve seen debate throughout countries like Russia and China on media and internet censorship but Great Britain has taken the opposite approach and encouraged the use of social networking to bring about legal justice within their country. I think this method is going to prove very efficient because of the sheer amount of people who are on Facebook and may pay more attention to it than any other website. I think that the police are very smart in using this technique in addition to their 24-hour hotline phone lines and the fact that so many people can view Facebook anywhere at any time, this just makes it easier for quick updates from the public’s side of the table.