Police social media appeals: how pertinent are criminal offence and offender characteristics in their success?

Purpose The utilisation of Facebook is now part of contemporary policing within the UK; however, to date the evidence base to fully understand its effectiveness in different types of criminal investigations is lacking. This paper aims to expand this body of research to better understand the use of Facebook, specifically within investigative appeals, by exploring the influence of crime types and offender demographics to further understand whether these factors influence public engagement. 

Design/methodology/approach This study takes an experimental approach utilising vignettes of hypothetical criminal investigation social media appeals. In total, 112 UK participants were placed into four groups, and each viewed a different hypothetical offender, with altered age and gender demographics, for five investigative appeals which included five different crime types. After viewing each vignette, participants were asked to answer a series of questions regarding their likely engagement with the appeals. 

Findings The findings of this experimental paper enhance the literature by providing an insight into which appeals are likely to receive the greatest benefit from a post on social media. The key findings within this study indicate that offender demographics do not influence potential engagement with police social media appeals, but the crime type does. 

Practical implications The empirical evidence from this study has created a deeper insight for police services regarding the utilisation of police social media, by demonstrating that the success of police investigation social media appeals may be influenced by content, specifically the exhibited crime type. 

Originality/value Previous academic research surrounding engagement with police social media appeals has largely focused on missing individuals. This paper aims to bridge this gap by looking deeper into the use of Facebook for criminal investigation appeals, to develop an understanding surrounding the influence of offence and offender characteristics on the success of such appeals.