boxing day 2012: Eight-fold increase in Facebook and Twitter crime as police deal with 5,000 cases involving websites

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Eight-fold increase in Facebook and Twitter crime as police deal with 5,000 cases involving websites

In 2008 there were just 650 reports of crimes; this year there were 4,908

In 2011, 650 people were charged for crimes involving Facebook and Twitter

Police: 'Officers should only respond to complaints that cause genuine harm'

By Becky Evans

PUBLISHED: 09:07 EST, 27 December 2012 | UPDATED: 09:15 EST, 27 December 2012

Reports of crimes involving Facebook and Twitter have increased by 780 per cent in four years.

New police figures show 650 people were charged for social networking crime last year alone.

In 2008, only 556 complaints were made to police, according to the statistics released by 29 police forces in England, Scotland and Wales a Freedom of Information request has revealed.

But the phenomenon of social networking crime has grown substantially and this year 4,908 offences were reported in which the two sites were a factor.

Online crime: 653 people were charged with crimes including abusive messages and provoking violent attacks

Chief Constable Andy Trotter, the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead on communications, said forces must prioritise crimes which cause genuine harm, rather than attempting to curb freedom of expression.

He said: 'It is a new world for all and we could end up in a situation where each constabulary needs a dedicated Twitter squad. In my opinion, that would not be a good use of resources in difficult financial times.

Sensible approach: Chief Constable Andy Trotter said forces should prioritise crimes that cause genuine harm

'We need to accept that people have the right to communicate, even to communicate in an obnoxious or disagreeable way, and there is no desire on the part of the police to get involved in that judgment.

'But equally, there are many offences involving social media such as harassment or genuine threats of violence which cause real harm. It is that higher end of offending which forces need to concentrate on.'

Police forces that responded to a Freedom of Information request said 653 people faced criminal charges this year over allegations involving the two sites that included posting abusive messages ad crimes that were provoked by postings such as violent attacks.

Four years ago just 46 people were charged.

Greater Manchester Police charged the highest number of people, at 115.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now set a 'high threshold' for police intervention in social networking crime intervention, which is expected to result in fewer criminal charges being brought.

Director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer QC announced the new guidelines on how people who post offensive messages on Facebook and Twitter should be dealt with.

Forces said there has been a wide variety of offences with harassment and menacing messages among the most common.

Tayside Police received 66 reports involving the sites this year, 44 of these involved sending obscene or menacing messages and in Merseyside 21 of the 76 crimes reported this year involved harassment.

ON THE RISE: SOCIAL NETWORKING CRIMES IN NUMBERS

Reported crimes involving Facebook and Twitter have risen 780 per cent in four years

Total number of complaints and charges from 29 forces

2008 - 556 complaints and 46 charges

2012 - 4,908 complaints and 653 charges

Greater Manchester Police charged 115 people this year - the most in the country

Gloucestershire Police only charged five people from 27 complaints

Northern Constabulary received 700 complaints - more than any other force that replied

Lincolnshire Police charged 54 people this year from 579 complaints. In 2008 just one person was charged from 19 complaints

Lancashire Police received reports of six threats of murder and there were numerous sexual offences including grooming, complaints of stalking, allegations of racially aggravated conduct and reports of fraud.

Mr Trotter said offences can be roughly divided between crimes which would have been committed, albeit in a different way, before the emergence of social media and those which exist because of the online platform.

'There is an issue of public expectation,' he said.

'We have to respect free speech and cannot have police forces responding simply because of public outcry.

'In many ways, online communities can be self-regulating and good at weeding out unacceptable behaviour. We need to find a way of distinguishing between that type of behaviour and that which requires police intervention.'

Paul Chambers's conviction for joking on Twitter about blowing up Robin Hood Airport in South Yorkshire in May 2010 was widely condemned.

The conviction was eventually quashed on appeal in the High Court in July and Mr Starmer admitted the CPS made the wrong 'judgement call' in that case.

He said: 'In most cases, once you have put the (new) safeguards in place then a prosecution is unlikely to be the appropriate response.

'To that extent, therefore, it is to make it less likely that these cases will be prosecuted.'

Other high-profile cases include nine people each ordered to pay the woman raped by footballer Ched Evans £624 for naming her on Twitter or Facebook.