The document discusses the transformative impact of social media on public order, security, and criminal investigation, likening it to a new 'DNA revolution'. It highlights how civilians are now actively participating in crime-solving, shifting the balance of power, while also presenting challenges such as the facilitation of criminal activities online. The authors advocate for police adaptation to this digital landscape, emphasizing the necessity of integrating social media into their operational strategies.

1. Do it yourself police
Social media:
het nieuwe DNA
Revolutie in opsporing
Arnout deVries
Frank Smilda
New!
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2. Summary Social Media: the new DNA
Social media, the world of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, have made an enormous
impact on our society.
Over the last five years, social media have changed the world of public order and
security as well as the investigation of crimes. One could even say a revolutionary
development is taking place. The meaning of this revolution might not be valued
yet, but it has and will continue to have great consequences when it comes to the
organization and methods of the police and it’s professional partners. Now, not only
the partners, but also civilians are playing an increasingly crucial part within the
security domain.
The articulate civilian has long stopped being a passive follower of the police and
investigative services: he or she has taken control thanks to the possibilities provided
by social media. Often there is a case of civil investigation, for example: the sharing
of an alleged crime with a large crowd or actively participating in the online search
for offenders. Civil investigation is changing the balance of power between the
police and civilians.
Although social media offers many ways for people to exchange information, create
solutions for problems and work together, there are also drawbacks. People used to
take to the streets to express their dissatisfaction, nowadays they stay at home, behind
the screen of a computer and use social media. Groups of people such as hooligans,
mobilize fans and opponents to organize a riot. Some people radicalise through
social media and commit the most horrifying crimes. Criminals and terrorists plot
their activities on the internet or use the internet as a way to commit thievery or even
as a cyberweapon. An increasing number of offences has a digital component or is
completely digital.
On the other hand: social media does give the police more options when it comes to
prevention, investigation and crowd control. After all, a lot of information on people
and organizations can be found on social media. This information can be linked to
the in-house data sources, thus enabling intelligence-controlled actions. Social media
can also be used in criminal investigation. The organized mental power of civilians –
the wisdom of the crowd – is already being used in a small number of cold cases. It
is called webbed investigation: working with a number of partners, often from the
public-private domain and increasingly international, but also more and more with the
help of civilians and communities.
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3. Itisvitalthatthepolicemonitorstheeventsonsocialmediainthisvirtualworld.Should
there be a lot of messaging, the police have to be able to determine the tendency of
these messages and how to respond to them. Next to monitoring it is also crucial to
develop intervention strategies. Immediately after an incident there is a need with
the public for official information, even when there are a lot of uncertainties about
the nature and cause of the incident. Communication is more than just informing, it
is also responding.
Doubts and moral dilemmas go hand in hand with these changes and possibilities. How
will civilians adapt to their new role and what do we, society as a whole, find acceptable?
What are the parameters for the police when it comes to gathering information
on citizens? Which technology can and cannot be used in doing so? What are the
consequences with regards to the privacy of civilians and suspects?Will evidence which
is gathered online by civilians be admissible in court? As often in a revolution, policy
makers and authorities cannot keep up with all the changes. In that respect, the so-
called Facebook riots in the Dutch town of Haren were an excellent wake-up call.
The police can hardly allow itself to be overtaken by the developments. When society
- and the unsafety and crime that is a part of that society - shifts from the streets
to cyberspace, then the police should make that shift as well. And luckily that is
more and more the case. With, for example, Twittering policemen on the beat, the
Netherlands are way ahead of other countries. Social media will be a revolution in
criminal investigation and enforcement, just as DNA research once was. Using social
media will have to be in the DNA of every police officer.
Up until now there was a missing link in the discussion on social media in relation to
investigation and enforcement: a book which approaches this issue in context. Not
just from a social point of view but, more importantly, also a pragmatic one. What
can or should I do with it as an individual receptionist, an operator in a radio room, a
policeman on the beat or a (civil) detective? What online tools can I use to make the
investigation more effective? This book pursues all this questions in great depth. It also
takes a look into the future, with new developments such as the use of Augmented
Reality through for example Google Glass, the Internet ofThings, Big Data and Web 3.0,
but also developments in the area of social media and privacy.
Social Media: the new DNA -- Revolution in investigation
Authors: Arnout de Vries, Frank Smilda
ISBN 9789035247024
Published by Reed Business Education
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4. To order this book:
go to www.reedbusiness.nl/socialmedia
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