Police – ‘Your social crime posts are causing panic’
'You can spot five males walking in Weltevreden Park, but what gives you the right to say they are suspicious?' asked a police spokesperson.
Americans express serious concerns about social media role in misinformation and on protecting personal data but most still use the networks, according to a new poll. AFP/File/NICOLAS ASFOURI, Lionel BONAVENTURE
Social media has played an unmatched role in informing and creating awareness among techno-savvy people. However, inaccurate and misleading information is what local authorities have shown concern over through various social media platforms, Roodepoort Northsider reports.
During a media briefing, the Honeydew Police and the Honeydew Community Policing Forum (CPF) expressed their dissatisfaction with various platforms and people who are posting inaccurate information which eventually sparks panic in the community.
“A lot of these community groups or crime watch groups on social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook are causing problems. Members of the community need to verify information posted on these groups to avoid panic,” Captain Balan Muthan, the spokesperson for station, cautioned.
“You can spot five males walking in Weltevreden Park, but what gives you the right to say they are suspicious?” he asked. “We put such information on social media and it causes chaos in the community,” he said.
“You then get one member of the community who takes matters into his own hands, goes after these males and then gets injured or killed, or gets one of these allegedly suspicious people injured or killed,” said Muthan, providing a fictitious example of such a situation.
“We also have individuals that post about cars with unknown registration numbers driving around the area, claiming that the occupants are suspects in house robberies. People post this without verifying the information,” he added.
The CPF public relations officer, Jon Rosenberg, said he suspected a leak of information posted on vetted emergency groups. “We post information on emergency groups for responders, and somehow it is leaked onto social media. The problem is, this is causing panic out there, especially with incorrect information. You find that suddenly we are looking for a white Golf instead of a white Toyota,” he said, illustrating the problem.
The briefing concluded by both parties urging the community to verify information before posting it and for followers to do the same before commenting or sharing the post.
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