The internet can seem a risky place to engage with people on Policing matters but already this year we’re seeing Authorities using it to great effect – joining the conversation, increasing the quality of discussion and engaging with more people.
One pertinent topic right now is the budget with many opinions on how people think their Authority should spend their funds. Already this year, we’ve worked with 3 Police Authorities to engage with people online about their budget (using our Budget Simulator); Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, and Greater Manchester.
It’s been great to see that this has been a genuinely constructive exercise, garnering great response rates, productive insights and helping the public feel more engaged with their Authority’s decision making process. Here are some of the reasons why, far from being frightening, the internet can be a great place for Police Authorities to run public consultation and discussion:
1) Convenience
The internet is the by far the most inclusive medium available. If someone needs to take longer than others to respond, they can do without extra cost or hassle. If someone else wants to voice their views at 5am, they too can do so at their leisure.
2) Centrality
Your website is probably the easiest way to find out everything a person needs to know about their Police Authority. Consulting in the same space as your website increases the public’s exposure to learning about what you do and how they can get involved in the future.
3) Usability
Policing issues can can often be complex and difficult to explain. Rather than trying to keep someone’s attention for hours at a public meeting, the internet offers the ability to lay out complex arguments in an involving and simple way – increasing people’s willingness and ability to participate.
4) Inclusivity
The internet reaches huge numbers of people, and you can afford to engage with all of them. Sending out 10,000 paper surveys is more than likely cost-prohibitive from the start for a Police Authority. By putting a survey online, you immediately make it available for anyone to get involved and it won’t cost you any more for gaining 100 or 1 million responses.
5) Transparency
Conversation will happen anyway, so it’s best to be involved.People will be grateful that you gave them the opportunity to have their say and showed willingness to have them engage with you. This way, your consultation activity can help to build trust as well as consensus.
You need only to read of the Metropolitan Police Authority’s Community Engagement Document to see how important gaining participation is. As this BBC story suggests, the use of new online technologies is a rapidly emerging area for the Policing community. With internet usage continuing to outstrip TV watching and other ‘traditional’ media, it makes complete sense for Police Authorities to start asking how they can reach out to their community online.
