1. How to engage with a riot
17 May 2012

2. The story of the riots 1. What happened?
3. The HMG response
2. The reported role of social media
Ignore
Block
Engage

3. What happened?

4. (socialmediamagic.com)
Ghost (signpost) – current chapter title...
The reported role of social media
(socialmediamagic.com)

5. (

6. Ignore Block Engage The HMG response
No countering voice to assassination tweets
Ignoring social media didn’t work…
Consider all options – including blocking networks
Blocking couldn’t work.. and the Government faced a public backlash
Make use of social media to engage
Engagement did work… but slowly and worked best where trusted networks were already in place

7. How to engage with a riot
Deputy Chief Constable
Gordon Scobbie

8. Police Use of Social Media
Pre-riot
Post-riot
Future

9. Facts on social media growth
30 million registered users on
over 700 million users worldwide
Up to 400,000 people sign up to
everyday
Now over 5 Billion
90 million

10. What do we know about media users?
■ They post content online
■ Display their likes and dislikes
■ Like to take pictures and record videos
■ Can make it go viral

11. Amusing Fenton! 2 million views

12. Witness Something

13. Something they don’t like

14. Something they do!

15. To Organise Protests http://www.ukuncut.org.uk
And to respond while at a demonstration

16. What is the link?

17. Connectivity

18. How have Police responded?

19. THE POLICE EVERYBODY ELSE

20. SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIRES BRAVERY

21. “Leading from the edge”

22. TWIT CAM – YOU TUBE

23. RT Protest in Dudley today, come and support #EDL
#EDL don’t react to EDL lies – police say no one been attacked
There are no Muslims rioting in Dudley – all quiet #EDL
Protest in Dudley today, come and support #EDL
RT police say There are no Muslims rioting in Dudley – all quiet #EDL
#EDL police allowing muslims to attack whites in Dudley
RT 100s Muslims with knives rioting in Dudley – get here! #EDL
#EDL misinformation being spread by EDL – listen to police tweets
#EDL no one stabbed, this is misinformation. Follow for accurate facts
#EDL no one has been attacked in Dudley
RT #EDL supporter stabbed by Muslim in Dudley – come and support us
#EDL police say no one has been stabbed- EDL lying
#EDL supporter stabbed by Muslim in Dudley
Muslims with knives rioting in Dudley #EDL
#EDL thank you police for accurate tweets

24. SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE

25. Google Event
■ The ‘end of digital’
■ ‘mobile first’
■ Police – ‘Digital First’

26. Google : 4 trends SOCIAL ‘social sharing’ MOBILE smart phones
VIDEO % of internet traffic
CONVERGENCE between virtual/real

27. So what ? INSIGHT thinking, doing, saying?
CONSULTATION Constant ‘beta’mode
DEMOCRATISATION Collaborate outside the organisation
COMMUNICATION Real time + powerful
RISK Attitude must change

28. National ACPO Strategy
3 main strands
KEEPING UP
JOINING UP
LEADERSHIP

29. UK position pre-riots National Guidance : ‘Engage’ National strategy
Chief officers ‘leading from the front’
External links to Digital Agenda

30. London Riots – August 2011

32. People used social media to organise

33. Imperative to engage If no information is coming from the authorities
The gap will be plugged by speculation

34. West Midlands – Superintendent Mark Payne
During Riots in Wolverhampton
Used throughout to:
Update Communities
Prevent the spread of mis-information and rumour
5000 plus new followers within 24 hours of riot

35. Police users have benefitted

36. Post-riot

37. Home Secretary’s Meeting
August 2011
Switching off ‘not an option’
Positive way forward
Value during crisis
Close current gaps

38. LESSONS LEARNED EVENT Tuesday 13 September 2011
Key themes
Forces who had already invested time using social media were better prepared when the disorders took place
Forces cannot deal with crisis situations and establish a meaningful social media presence at the same time

39. Recommendations
Ensure Social Media is sufficiently developed to be able to respond to challenges which arise during critical incidents
Ensure a system is in place for monitoring social media and contingency plans for increased communications support when necessary

40. Recommendations
Review ICT systems and alternative support systems to ensure resilience
Ensure investigators recognise social media works in real time
Ensure processes are in place to timely capture information posted online – supported by proper evidence gathering procedures

41. Emergent issues
NIM Review - “How do you respond to information that you don’t have time to evaluate?” ACC Sharon Rowe
HMIC Report on Riots – “We need a social media hub” – Sir Denis O’Connor, HASC
Social Media impacting on investigations – Joanna Yeates Trial

42. Trust Public want to go to trusted sources for information
Trust best built over time

43. Deliverables Twitter verification process Digital landscape mapping
Skills – training and social media

44. Partnership
Government, Home Office, Police + other law enforcement agencies
SM providers involved
Enhanced capability + capacity

45. Engagement… ….is the foundation which supports: Intelligence
Investigation

46. Capability Gaps and Lack of trained staff
Insufficient technology – to monitor, analyse and capture
No ‘local’ on-line community engagement
No pre-planned intelligence co-ordination
No 24/7 emergency contact with
and

47. Next Steps

48. UK Government Strategy on Digital
‘ Digital by default’
Paradigm shift
Disruptive technology
Opportunistic nature

49. George Osbourne May 2011 Changing accountability
Changing policy making
Changing public services

50. Accountability Access to information public voice 3rd party analysis
UK Government – world leader in open data

51. ANGUS FOX
Smartphone App

52. Changing Public Services
Reduced Cost
30 % public services = £1.3 b savings
Public Service Reform – ‘Digital by default’
Drive up service delivery

53. A sign of changing times - A magazine is an I- Pad that doesn’t work - 3.5 million views

54. Questions
Are you getting the most out of the riot in your organisation?
Have social networks changed the way people think about organisational boundaries?
Is employee tweeting and blogging OK?
Are you getting the wiki effect in your organisation – is there enough trust to make it work?
What is a leader – is it someone at the top or someone with a lot of followers?
Can networks work in hierarchical organisations?