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Maeda Keiji
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Detectives Get Lessons On Using Facebook
9:59am Friday October 29, 2010
Gary Mitchell
Detectives will be trained to use Facebook and Twitter to track down killers and other criminals.
Police are being forced to keep pace with the rapidly evolving internet
Sweeping changes are aimed at making police better at using the internet to dig up evidence on suspects. Student investigators will be shown how they could trace wanted people on social networking sites, where they might leave posts revealing valuable clues. Senior officers are under increasing pressure to keep pace with online technology to help gather intelligence on gangs, fraudsters and other criminals.
Earlier this year, escaped prisoner Craig Lynch mocked police with clues about his whereabouts on Facebook while he was on the run for four months. And detectives in London are looking for clues on Facebook and Twitter that could shed light on the murder of 17-year-old Marvin Henry during a suspected fight between rival gangs.
Escaped prisoner Craig Lynch mocked police on Facebook
Updated training rules will advise how to examine computers, mobile phones and other electronic devices for clues. Around 3,500 student detectives take the initial crime investigator's development programme each year. Deputy Chief Constable Nick Gargan, acting head of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA), said new guidelines are vital.
These improvements are exactly what detectives need to tackle the challenges and complexities of modern policing effectively.
<cite> Deputy Chief Constable Nick Gargan
</cite> He said: "This programme is a vital part of the career pathway for detectives and the new training covers sensitive areas of policing where limited guidance existed previously. "These improvements are exactly what detectives need to tackle the challenges and complexities of modern policing effectively." It will not be the first time police have been encouraged to use social networking websites in the line of duty.
