A local councillor will be tapping into Social Media to get the message across about what local police do during the shifts in South Down.
Councillor Patrick Brown will accompany Constable Phil Quinn of Down PSNI on duty this coming Friday night (11 December) and experience first hand the work of the PSNI in the run up to Christmas.
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Councillor Patrick Brown with Constable Phil Quinn.[/caption]
The Newry Mourne and Down District Councillor will be attending possible emergency scenes, call responses and will be patrolling local areas as part of an initiative to give elected representatives and the public a better insight into what exactly local officers do on a weekend patrol covering a diverse range of call outs and activities.
Speaking about the initiative, dubbed Rowallane Ride-along, Cllr. Brown said:” ‘The idea came out of a recent community planning meeting when I was discussing ongoing issues with anti-social behaviour in the Rowallane area. I suggested that young people in the area could build a better relationship with local police through taking part in a ‘ride-along’. One of the officers present then suggested the idea of a local councillor taking part and posting about it live on social media.
“As a result, on Friday night I will join Constable Quinn and the Down PSNI team on their official duties around the Rowallane and wider South Down area, and will live tweet and post about the experience on Facebook. I think it’s really important that the general public gets an insight into the vital service provided to us by our local police.
“Certainly Down PSNI has done some great work recently in using social media to reach out to the community, and I hope this initiative can build on that.
“Press and politicians have taken part in similar schemes in the past but this is the first time an initiative of this sort will be shared live on social media, adding an extra element of transparency and interactivity. You can follow the night’s progress by following DownPSNI or Councillor Patrick Brown on Facebook, or Paddy_JBrown on Twitter.
You can also get involved on Twitter at #RowallaneRideAlong.
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