Thursday, 28 November 2013 - 10:28am |
Bay of Plenty

Fresh look for social media

2 min read

Bay of Plenty Police is changing the face of its social media presence to ensure it maintains the best possible communication with its growing audience.

The district currently has four Facebook pages as well as a Twitter account. Next week the Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty Facebook pages will merge to form one Bay of Plenty Police Facebook page.

The Tauhara Paetiki Facebook page in Taupo is the only page that will remain independent of the District page as this is operated by the Neighbourhood Policing Team with a specific neighbourhood focus. The @BOPPolice Twitter account will also remain active.

Bay of Plenty Police has been one of the leaders in police social media in New Zealand and it is proving to be an excellent tool with an increasingly interactive audience and good successes in identifying and locating criminals, reuniting stolen property and circulating public safety messages.

Prevention Manager Inspector Scott Fraser said: “The more successful it becomes the more resource intensive it becomes and we know the public want our staff out in our communities and not in offices on computers. To ensure the best possible communication and a quality product using the least resources, we believe it is better to operate one Facebook page from one central location.

“To those who follow us it is little more than a name change. They will continue to see local news and local appeals for help just as they do now. However they will also get to see what is happening in neighbouring communities. We know that criminals are transient and we believe the changes will enable our loyal followers to assist us with cross-border crime appeals; helping us in our efforts to reduce crime and the number of victims across the District, not just in their own communities. It also means that those areas not currently operating a Facebook page, such as Western Bay of Plenty and the wider Taupo area have an opportunity to experience the benefits of social media.”

Messages will be posted on the Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty Facebook pages over the coming days encouraging current followers of those pages to switch to the Bay of Plenty page ahead of the closures of those two pages.

“We hope our followers stick with us and continue to support this valuable forum. We also welcome new followers and feedback about the Facebook page so that we can look for ways to improve it even further.”

The transition to www.facebook.com/BOPPolice begins today with the intention of closing down the Rotorua and EBOP pages on Thursday, 5 December.

The move comes as Bay of Plenty Police prepares to join other districts on the national Wanted Persons website www.police.govt.nz/stolenwanted/wanted-to-arrest. Images of wanted people who police are trying to trace will be placed on the site along with other unidentified individuals suspected of committing crimes. The Bay of Plenty Police Facebook page and will link to newsworthy and relevant items on the Wanted Persons website. It is hoped that Bay of Plenty will join Wanted Persons by the New Year.

Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.