Police want you to report crims on Facebook

David Jeans

April 13, 2012

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-want-you-to-report-crims-o...

Victoria police today launched a Facebook page that lets the public report anti-social and disorderly behaviour on public transport.

The Eyewatch Public Transport Police page rely on the public to report menacing behaviour, and police believe that social networking is the answer to minimise crime on public transport.

The public transport Eyewatch page is a branch of the Eyewatch Facebook page trials that use public contribution to report on crime and police activity across Melbourne.  

So far there are five active Eyewatch pages that cover Darebin, Brimbank, Geelong, Hobsons Bay and Yarra Ranges. If the trials prove effective, Eyewatch pages will be rolled out statewide.

Acting Inspector Greg Barras says the public transport page would remove the need for commuters to 'like' Eyewatch pages from other municipalities to gather information about a particular train or tram line.

"A person who may live in Ferntree Gully who catches the train from Box Hill, who has travelled through seven or eight local government areas … doesn't have to like each of those Eyewatch pages.”

Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton believes the Eyewatch trials are the future of Neighbourhood Watch and a full-scale program has already been launched in NSW.

"(Eyewatch is) more about statistics, it's more about real information, (when) a crime's been committed a face of the offender can be put up or (wall posts that say) 'we're doing crime prevention in this area'," Deputy Commissioner Ashton said.

He said that when an immediate danger occurred, the public should still call 000.

"I must stress this is not a 000 replacement. If you're getting attacked in the street don't go to the Facebook page, call 000."

Although police are encouraging the public to contribute to the Eyewatch pages, they are not encouraging people to assume the role of a police officer.

"We are not asking super sleuths to go out and go into tech-crime for us. Mums and dads getting on with their lives, they'll see things occur that they might think is suspicious and think this is an opportunity to tell us about that."