Police in Seattle use Twitter to circulate details of stolen cars
Yes, that's right. Seattle Police Department in the US is using a Twitter account to post details of recently stolen vehicles so the description of the car reaches a larger audience. The idea was setup in the hope that it would lead to a faster recovery of stolen cars in the area.
According to reports, up to 3000 vehicles are stolen every year in the city of Seattle so police are looking into new ways of cracking down on the crime.
The account, called Get Your Car Back - http://twitter.com/getyourcarback# - allows police to rapidly post a description of recently reported-stolen cars using an efficient yet detailed layout:
COLOR:LT BLUE YR: 1993 MAKE: PLYM MODEL: VOY BODY: MINI VAN LIC:106TEI ST:WA ***DO NOT MAKE CONTACT CALL 911***
Police hope the community might help out in the hunting process and urges anyone who spots a car fitted to a description to call police directly. The account was also setup in the hope that it may deter criminals from stealing cars in the first place.
It seems like a great idea that would be almost cost-free. Should Australian police authorities use the same approach?
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