CPF and police warn against unverified posts
HONEYDEW – Police caution the community to stop creating social media posts with unverified information.
The Honeydew Community Policing Forum and the police are cautioning the community to stop creating social media posts regarding unverified suspicious criminal activity without proper evidence first.
Honeydew CPF spokesperson Jon Rosenberg said, “We as the CPF post information on private emergency groups for responders including paramedics, private security and the police, and somehow that information gets made public. Many times, this information is unconfirmed and creates huge panic in our communities. People always exaggerate or we end up with the broken telephone scenario.
“Many times I see a social media post saying ‘There are three suspicious men on the corner’, ‘What was that loud bang, was it a gunshot?’, or ‘There’s a vehicle driving very slowly around our neighbourhood’. Going to a public forum to accuse individuals for being suspicious just because they look out of place, or hearing a loud sound and assuming the worst, is not the correct place to do it.”
Honeydew police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said, “There are so many community groups that it is hard to keep up.”
He added that members of the community need to verify the information put onto groups before making comments. A post that is unverified can cause massive panic in the community and even hinder a police investigation.
“If a group of people are walking down the road, what gives them the right to say these people are suspicious? The danger is the possibility of having one member of the community who believes they are a vigilante and physically threatens or harms innocent individuals.
“Another problem is the posting of suspicious vehicles. Let’s say the post says, ‘We are looking for a suspicious white bakkie with two males and the registration number is unknown’, that is not enough information for the police or any security company, and it also puts innocent people in danger.
“The community needs to read their post carefully and take caution in posting unverified information to avoid causing panic in our communities,” concluded Muthan.
Related article:
