There is more proof a new Lethbridge Regional Police social media initiative is working. Last month, the LRPS started “Wanted Wednesday” on Twitter. The campaign advises the public that a person is wanted, the charges they are facing and includes a request for tips or information that could help locate the individual.
“The people that we post have a fairly strong possibility that they are in our community so we are focusing on Lethbridge and not other cities,” says Sgt. Mark Smallbones , with the LRPS Priority Crimes Unit.
Lethbridge Regional Police say there are over 800 criminals walking the streets, wanted on everything from fraud to sexual assault. So far, Wanted Wednesday has an almost 100 percent success rate, with most suspects nabbed in less than 24 hours
“We have been successful on all but one, and the nice thing is, it’s usually by 9:00 in the evening that we have the person in custody,” adds Smallbones.
LRPS says social media allows them to reach the broadest audience possible. According to Smallbones, the Priority Crimes Unit spends a great deal of time pursuing wanted offenders, but sometimes, despite exhaustive investigation, they’re simply unable to track everyone.
“It’s been tremendous and the support that we have. My unit is extremely happy about it, seeing the feedback from the public is probably better than we were hoping for.”
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