50 WhatsApp channels: A first police force is now also leaving X
WhatsApp channels are becoming increasingly popular as a way of providing many people with information. A police force joins in and announces X.
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The Osnabrück police department says it is the first police force to say goodbye to the Internet portal X, formerly Twitter. Instead, it wants to turn to WhatsApp, as around 50 police accounts have already done, in order to inform a total of around 1.5 million citizens. The accounts of neighboring police forces are also to be closed. One reason for this is the changes in the use of X, which means that "wide-reaching police communication is no longer possible without further ado", according to the statement.
"Communication and usage behavior on X have changed. We no longer see the absolute added value for us as a police department and are switching," explains Michael Maßmann, President of the Osnabrück police department. The police see the WhatsApp channel as "a promising alternative platform that will provide a forward-looking new approach to communication during operations, particularly in the case of major police operations, including amok or terrorist situations". By using the WhatsApp channel, the police expect "a greater reach" and many well-informed citizens.
Police follow the flow of users
In addition to WhatsApp, the police in Osnabrück have been using the Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn platforms for their online communication for several years. "We have to be present and approachable where people are," emphasizes police spokesman Marco Ellermann. WhatsApp channels have been available in Germany since the fall of 2023 and are also used, for example, to communicate incidents relating to government health IT.
Since the beginning of 2024, numerous police forces have also registered there and now have tens of thousands of subscribers; the Osnabrück police account created on July 19 has around 600 subscribers (as of August 30, 2024).
Back in 2016, during the heyday of Twitter, there was a lot of praise for the work of the Munich police during a terrorist attack at the Olympia shopping center. It had been a challenge that evening to communicate quickly and carefully. Just a few days ago, the Munich police asked whether they should offer their traditional "Wienswache", a humorous 24-hour coverage of the Oktoberfest on X, again this year. Almost 76 percent of the users who voted were in favor of this. Other police forces also continue to use X for live reporting in certain situations, including in Berlin with their own account "Polizei Berlin Einsatz".
(mack)