Met Police dump Twitter for their own social media app
Londoners are being invited to join Met Engage to have direct contact with their local police officers
The Metropolitan Police have launched a new social media platform that will allow Londoners to contact their local police officers directly.
Acting Superintendent James Herring told the Ealing Safer Neighbourhood Panel on Tuesday evening that Met Engage will become the new trusted communication tool for Ealing and the rest of London. “This will allow us to reach out to seldom-heard communities rather than using X (Twitter),” he said.
The platform was launched on 23 June and 1,353 people in Ealing have signed up. “The more people that sign up, the more successful Met Engage will be and the greater the benefit,” said acting Superintendent Herring.
Londoners can sign up at metengage.co.uk. After joining, members can email their named local police officers to to discuss issues important to them and receive messages and request from the police and neighbourhood groups. Officers are not obliged to have their photographs online.
According to Met Engage: “This isn't just a platform for us to tell you what we're doing in your area, it's an opportunity for you to tell us what's concerning you most so we can take action on the things that truly matter to you.”
Acting Superintendent Herring said that Met Engage was not designed for reporting crime and people should continue to dial 999 or 101.
The Metropolitan Police continue to use Twitter and are promoting Met Engage as their pinned tweet but its tweet selection algorithm often promotes extremist material which could appear next to police tweets.
The police previously used Online Watch Link (OWL) as a platform for messaging residents and businesses but that is now out of service.