Force of change

There was a time when a whistle and a baton were seemingly all police needed in their weaponry as they fought to maintain law and order. Young wrongdoers could be given a clip round the ear and dragged home where their parents were expected to administer the necessary punishment.

Nowadays, however, teens and even primary youngsters are almost untouchable, as frighteningly demonstrated by the recent rioting in London and other city centres.

Batons and riot shields were certainly to the fore, but, as talks continue about how to tackle public unrest in the future, it is likely that rubber bullets and water cannon could be used on our streets to curb violent offenders.

In Nottinghamshire, there’s been police praise for another weapon of choice — the internet. Whereas, in London and elsewhere, high-tech communication has been criticised for helping to keep criminals one step ahead of the law, locally social networking sites are being used to the advantage of the police.

An estimated 10,000 messages of support were sent to the Nottinghamshire force via Facebook and Twitter as police dealt with violent outbreaks in Nottingham last week.

The police also used the sites to reassure the public, keep people up-to-date with what was happening and answer questions about police operations.

The head of communications for Nottinghamshire Police, Matt Tapp, said the use of social media would revolutionise how the force used communications to prevent and detect crime and gain and retain public confidence.

Anything that helps to stop crime has got to be a good thing, but as Nottinghamshire Police has to find savings of £43m over the next four years, it is worth remembering that confidence in the police comes first and foremost from seeing them on our streets.

No one wants a reduction in front-line officers because of budget constraints — a high-visible police presence must be a priority, even if the virtual world is to play a bigger part in future policing.