After a successful probationary period the Isle of Man Constabulary’s newest recruit will be working round the clock to provide help and advice during the TT Festival.
@tweetbeatIOM will support road safety efforts and keep people up to date with important information such as road closures, traffic diversions, appeals and alerts.
The pioneering initiative enables the owners of smart phones, internet enabled personal computers, tablets or laptops to have immediate ‘interactive’ access to the Manx police.
Introduced on digital media channel Twitter on 12 May, @tweetbeatIOM has already attracted strong support, with positive comments being posted by many of its 1,934* followers.
A promotional campaign launched today (Friday 23 May), which includes banners at the Isle of Man Airport and Sea Terminal, is encouraging TT visitors to sign up to the service, described as ‘the most exciting development of social media in policing today’.
@tweetbeatIOM is patrolled by a serving police officer, as part of their daily operational policing duties, and provides a fully integrated approach to public information and crime prevention, 24 hours a day.
Using the traffic lights system, followers are immediately alerted to the significance of a tweet or update. Green is for information, amber for alerts, and red for warnings and appeals.
People who follow @tweetbeatIOM will also, on occasion, be informed of the location of speed traps. This is aimed at assisting the enforcement of speed limits and keeping the Island’s roads safe, particularly during the busy TT period.
@tweetbeatIOM is the latest addition to the Isle of Man Constabulary’s highly successful digital media presence. This use of technology works in tandem with the long-standing neighbourhood policing approach and face-to-face communications to help prevent crime and protect vulnerable members of the local community.
Inspector Cathryn Bradley said:
‘The initial response to @tweetbeatIOM has been very positive. As with all new patrols, we are in the learning stages, but the probationary period has shown us that this is a valuable way of interacting with the community. With the influx of visitors set to arrive for the TT Festival @tweetbeatIOM will have a big part to play in promoting public safety and helping to keep the Island moving in what is our busiest time of year.’
*Figure correct at 5pm on 23 May 2014
