VANCOUVER – If you follow the Vancouver Police Department on social media, chances are you are aware they have an Elf on the Shelf this year.
Named Bobby, he first made an appearance on their social media channels on Dec. 1, and started solving his first crime immediately.
This was the first year the Vancouver Police joined forces with the popular children’s tradition. “Well, Elf on a Shelf is this social media phenomenon that has overtaken North America and we looked at that and we’re very active on social media ourselves, so we thought ‘well we can probably tie into this a little bit, show the human side of policing,” said Cst. Sandra Glendinning with the Vancouver Police. “Really reach out to the public and the kids and really show that softer, gentler side of policing and have some fun with it at the same time.”
Glendinning said they have not had any negative feedback about the project, but Bobby will not be back until Christmas 2015 as he has to return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve.
“The engagement’s been fantastic,” added Glendinning. “So we believe that social media is a sort-of avenue for two-way communication. We don’t just broadcast information, we want people to feel comfortable approaching us, and talking to us, and asking us questions. And this Elf on the Shelf series has certainly done that. We’ve doubled our engagement for the month of December.” The department has also used Bobby to communicate safety tips this time of year and remind people of what resources are available to them.
Bobby has been such a success this year that Glendinning said the department is going to have to step up their game for next year.
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