The police watchdog has told forces they “must do more” to fill information voids that can form online when they are slow to share information with the media.
The report from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary about the police response the Southport knife attack and subsequent disorder last July found that if police fail to communicate the facts “repeatedly continuously and effectively… others will take over the narrative”.
Misinformation that spread around the identity of the attacker who killed three children helped to fuel rioting across the UK over the subsequent week.
The new report says: “Forces must provide a true narrative online to reach people who may be searching for information. They must be robust in countering online content that contains misinformation or disinformation. They must challenge illegal or harmful content and communicate to the public how they will respond to and act against those who commit online offences.
“The police service must communicate the facts. Repeatedly, continuously and effectively as circumstances change and develop. If not, others will take over the narrative with overwhelming amounts of online content. And some of this may be false or harmful to the police response and the communities the police are there to protect.”
A head of communications from one police force noted: “A decade ago, the narratives which cut through were likely to be based on evidence, on professional journalistic integrity and on fundamental truth. Today, whoever can tell the best story first, powered by the most emotive and compelling content wins the day.”
Another described tackling misinformation and disinformation as a “new battleground” for policing.
Policing needs to be ‘more open’ with mainstream media
At a press conference to launch the report, Sir Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, told journalists: “I think policing needs to identify how it can be more open when dealing with the mainstream media in all major investigations. I think you will find that certainly Sir Andy Marsh from the College [of Policing] is looking at ways that can happen.”
Crime Reporters Association chair and Daily Mail crime editor Rebecca Camber asked whether forces should do more briefings with the mainstream media and be more open with crime reporters to counter false social media rumours and Sir Andy said he agreed.
“Being more open with the mainstream media is undoubtedly the way to go forward. We can’t ignore those on social media either, particularly because that’s where such a large proportion of the population that’s where they get their news from.”
He added: “If authorities aren’t giving information about what is going on you get this massive void and that is filled very quickly by people who don’t know what’s going on, who pretend to know what is going on. We saw plenty of that on social media [during the riots].
“That is what policing needs to counter better, whether it is to say ‘this is patently untrue’ or whether it is to say ‘this is what is happening’ because the way social media is now, people want to know what’s going on.”
Crime Reporters association: ‘Police need to more open in all major investigations’
Welcoming Sir Andy’s comments, Camber said in a statement: “Police need to be more open in all major investigations if forces are to retain public confidence.
“The riots last summer have taught forces a valuable lesson about the importance of speaking to the media about what is really happening.
“It wasn’t just a matter of public confidence and trust in policing at stake, it was about public safety and that of officers, many of whom were hurt as a direct result of the falsehoods swirling on social media.
“Remaining silent is not an option. Sir Andy Cooke is right, police forces must move much faster to fill that void of information which exists in many investigations- telling the public the truth is the only way to combat those lies on social media.
“Officers must be more open with the media in all major investigations and we need to work together to rebuild this crucial working relationship between police forces and reporters, which is essential to public confidence and policing legitimacy in the UK.”
Executive director of the Society of Editors Dawn Alford said the report “highlights the need for police forces to be more open and transparent when communicating with the public around major investigations.
“As was evident in Southport, and has been seen elsewhere during other high-profile investigations, where there is a vacuum of information this often leads to speculation and misinformation being published online and forces must respond quickly to inaccuracies and work with the media to combat fake news and conspiracy theories and communicate the facts to the public.
“A successful working relationship between police forces and reporters remains essential to public confidence and policing legitimacy in the UK and we stand ready to work with the College of Policing to drive forward much-needed change in this area.”
The report also discussed the fact that police have no power to remove illegal online content, saying that this means “the strength of the police voice and influence becomes even more important. The police service must not remain silent. It must respond quickly. Some forces showed that this is possible.”
Sir Andy said Ofcom “needs to have the proper capacity and capability” to get posts taken down quickly “if it’s going to be effective.
“And in a national disorder issue like you saw, the speed of some of these posts that are going up makes it really difficult to get them down quickly. If you don’t get them down quickly, they spread virally.”
He also said the big tech companies “have got to have responsibility, irrespective of whether they are led from China, led from America”.
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