Twitch officer: Hanover police open their own Twitch channel
Hanover police want to expand their digital presence with their own Twitch channel. There is a successful international role model for this.
The profile of the Hanover police on Twitch
(Image: mki / heise online)
On Friday, December 13, the Hanover Police Department will be the first police authority in Germany to launch its own channel on the Twitch streaming platform. The officers want to use the service to reach younger people in particular and get into conversation with them. The informal setting is to be used for prevention work and recruiting young people, among other things, the police explained in a statement.
The initial plan is for streams to take place several times a week. In these, users will be able to watch various police officers, who call themselves "Twitch officers", play popular titles such as "EA Sports FC 2025", "Minecraft", "Fall Guys", "The Crew Motorfest", "Overcooked" and "Chained Together". It is also possible to communicate directly with the police officers via the chat and ask questions without having to do so.
More presence in the digital space
The police in Lower Saxony's state capital, one of six directorates in the state, want to use the new channel to increase their presence in the digital space, they say. "We reach people we can't get to in any other way. People who tend to focus on the digital space, but who also have a right to know that we are available to them," explains Police Vice President Thorsten Massinger. So far, the officers can already be found on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn.
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However, whether it will be possible to address users on Twitch will first be tested for six months. The five part-time Twitch officers "Janni", "Jo", "Sini", "Stevie" and "Taski" want to get in touch with the community for several hours a week from Friday. An exact schedule had not yet been published on Thursday.
Role model in Denmark
Internationally, the Danish police are a successful role model for such a Twitch presence. The "Politiets Online Patrulje " caused a stir in April 2022 when it announced and implemented plans similar to those of the German officers. The Danish police now have almost 30,000 followers on Twitch. According to a report by the AFP news agency, the commitment has also paid off in terms of police work. The online officers received a four-digit number of tips. They also have their own TikTok channel online.
(mki)
