By Samantha Simon
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Police are considering enhancing their social media monitoring capabilities by establishing a dedicated unit to that end in an effort to curtail criminal behaviour by youth gangs.
Police Commissioner Atlee Rodney spoke on the issue during an interview on the Connecting with Dave Lester Payne show yesterday.
He explained that, currently, social media monitoring is conducted by various units within the force and addressed concerns about local gangs using online platforms to promote their activities.
Rodney confirmed that the police are aware of such activities.
He acknowledged that these pages sometimes show “kids brandishing weapons and advertising who’s their next to be target”.
Commissioner Rodney explained, “Our intelligence units are monitoring them. They are taking the information and they are sharing it with the tactical people.”
He added that this responsibility is shared among different departments.
“Even the operational persons, persons from the criminal investigations department, persons from the tactical unit. They will do that as part of their job,” he said.
However, Rodney acknowledged that there’s room for improvement in this area.
“There is some space for improvement in that because it might reach that point where we might have to have a dedicated team just to do that and not just part of the portfolio,” he stated.
The Commissioner emphasised the importance of social media monitoring in modern policing.
“Vital information comes from there to solve crimes, but also to prevent crimes and that’s our business; we have to solve them when they are committed. But if we can prevent them, that is even better.”
In addition to enhancing social media monitoring, the police force is planning to increase its presence in schools.
Commissioner Rodney expressed a desire to revive a previously successful programme.
“We had a very effective programme back in the late maybe 90s into early 2000s where we were working along with the schools and we have made that appeal and even as recently as last week…we made that appeal again to the Ministry of Education that we want to work along with them. We want to be back in the schools.”
Rodney highlighted the positive impact of such ventures, recounting an encounter with a former student.
“I met a youngster. He is a businessman now. And he said to me, thank you for the lessons that you taught… those things that you said continued to stay with me. So I’m away from drugs. I’m away from violence,” he said.
The Commissioner hopes to implement this programme by the new school year in September, even if on a limited basis initially.
