Why it’s important for the different departments at your agency to work together in order to present a cohesive service to the public

Editor’s note: The SMILE (Social Media, the Internet and Law Enforcement) Conference provides officers with all the technical hands-on skills and the practical knowledge to utlitze social media platforms for public outreach, crime prevention and forensics. The conference is a great opportunity for those involved in social media efforts to share suggestions and stories on this ever-changing topic. Below you will find social media tips from one of the speakers at the conference.

Social media is all about collaboration. Pretty much every business area within law enforcement is touched in some way by social media, so don’t just single out one department to deal with it–work together holistically within your organization to present a cohesive service to the public, partners and other agencies. Whether you work in investigation, community policing, corporate communication or customer service, you all need to work together on making the best use of social media.

Christine Townsend is a police communications professional with experience of working for four police forces in the UK (Kent, Surrey, Sussex and City of London). She is also a Special Constable (volunteer police officer) in Roads Policing and has eight years service. She is a qualified police trainer and specialises in helping organisations embed social media in communications and intelligence and investigation functions in law enforcement. She founded KBC Media, a small digital communications consultancy firm, in 2011 and continues to work closely with police forces both in the UK and further afield.