#LETUSHELPYOU
Police praised for innovative tweets aimed at tackling domestic abuse
POLICE have been praised for writing a powerful open letter to a victim of domestic abuse.
Officers in Lochaber and Skye used a series of tweets on Saturday to urge the woman to get help.
They posted: “A letter to a young woman in Skye.
“We know you follow this account and want you to see this.
“We’ve told you previously that we think you are at risk of domestic abuse from your partner.
“We want to help you and are doing lots with other agencies to try to keep you safe.
“You might not see us, you might not even like us being involved but we are always thinking about how we can help you. Your family and friends have told you they think you are in danger – they support you and want you to be safe.
“We think he’s probably told you, ‘It won’t happen again’, ‘I’m sorry’, ‘I’ll change’, he’s maybe even told you that it’s your fault – IT’S NOT.
“The violence, threats, degrading comments and controlling behaviour are not the life you need to lead, it can be better.
“You are not trapped and you are not alone, we can help you get out, your family and friends can help you get out and @scot womensaid can help you get out. Call us, come to the police station, phone someone, speak to local Womens Aid worker 01478613365 or 0800 027 1234.”
The letter was retweeted hundreds of times, including by Jane Ide, who said: “A truly remarkable and powerful use of social media.”
Scottish Women’s Aid chief executive Marsha Scott said she thought the tweets were a “great, creative use of social media”.
A Police Scotland spokesman said the tweets weren’t aimed at a specific individual and had been a clever use of Twitter to raise awareness of domestic abuse.