Abstract
The NSW Police Force has turned to Facebook to renew its community-policing efforts with the public. In 2011, the organisation launched Project Eyewatch, a community-policing program designed around the dialogic capability of social media. Project Eyewatch is a modern version of Neighbourhood Watch; only police engage the public online instead of at school halls. The NSW Police Force now has more than 110 Facebook sites operating under the banner of Project Eyewatch, each independently administered by police officers working at commands in local communities and in specialist sections of the organisation. Police organisations have been slow to embrace social networking but most have come to recognise the importance of being a part of online social media networks. However, studies have shown that many police organisations are using new technology to communicate in old ways, using Twitter and Facebook to transmit crime and policing information with little regard for customer feedback and the dialogic potential of online communication. This paper examines the efficacy of Project Eyewatch communication and, in particular, the program's influence on public confidence and trust in police. It considers the issues, risks and organisational constraints of using Facebook, and examines whether the strategy is meeting one of its primary objectives: to facilitate dialogic engagement with the public. The paper is based on a recent study that evaluated the efficacy of Project Eyewatch as a strategy for engaging the public in community policing (Kelly, 2013).
| Original language | English |
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| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 2014 ANZCA Annual Conference |
| Subtitle of host publication | The digital and the social: communication for inclusion and exchange |
| Editors | Diana Bossio |
| Place of Publication | Australia |
| Publisher | ANZCA |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Publication status | Published - 2014 |
| Event | Australia and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) 2014 Annual Conference - Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia Duration: 08 Jul 2014 → 11 Jul 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20161004192458/http://www.anzca.net/conferences/past-conferences/2014-conf.html (Conference proceedings) |
Publication series
| Name | |
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| ISSN (Print) | 1448-4331 |
Conference
| Conference | Australia and New Zealand Communication Association (ANZCA) 2014 Annual Conference |
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| Abbreviated title | The digital and the social: Communication for inclusion and exchange |
| Country/Territory | Australia |
| City | Melbourne |
| Period | 08/07/14 → 11/07/14 |
| Other | The annual conference the major event in the ANZCA calendar. The conference provides members with valuable professional development opportunities, including scholarly publication, networking and presentation, and learning about the latest national and international trends in media and communications research, teaching and learning. Research students are encouraged and supported to take advantage of formal and informal mentoring opportunities afforded by participation in the conference and other activities of the association. The conference also provides an important occasion for recognizing the achievements and contributions of members in the field. Each year the conference is held in a different location in either Australia or New Zealand, and is organised by the incoming Vice-president (who becomes the Association's president for the following year). For information about the forthcoming conference please follow the link on the right hand side of this page. |
| Internet address |
