Topcop: Whywe goonline
Forth Valley’s top cop has sought to clarify his comments that they look more to social media than community councils as a means of interacting with local residents.
Chief superintendent Thom McLoughlin told Stirling Council’s public safety committee last month “community councils are not necessarily representative of their communities”.
He made the comments in response to a query as to why Police Scotland had only attended 33 of 69 community council meetings in the Stirling area in 2018/19.
This week, he elaborated on why the force was looking more to social media for public engagement.
Ch Supt McLoughlin started by pointing to the ultra-fast broadband being rolled out in the Stirling and Bridge of Allan area saying: “Forth Valley Police Division has recognised this and has adapted its approach to enhancing the quality of engagement we provide to our communities.
“The traditional community councils are essential and provide a slow time two-way feedback for the community and the officer. The virtual community engagement is more agile and gives us a pulse check of our communities in real-time and across a broad section of society. Both ways of engagement are essential and are driven to complement each other.”
He then highlighted the effectiveness of the division’s social media accounts.
He said: “Through these platforms we can ask the community’s help, and the ensuing chain reaction ensures that our reach is far and wide across all communities.
“Community councils are and remain very relevant within our engagement strategy but one has to acknowledge that they are limited in terms of reach, range and cross-demographic representation.
“Use of social media can help join communities together, bridge communication obstacles, build relationships and better provide a two-way medium to improve and promote a more connected Stirling.”