Managers of Queensland’s community Facebook pages are being offered the chance to shape a program which promotes safe online spaces.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is calling on administrators and moderators neighbourhood Facebook groups across the state to provide input into the new program through an online survey.
QPS Inspector Alice Carnes, from the Community Safety Group, said the Digital Community Safety Champions (DCSC) pilot program was being developed in partnership with the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and aimed to empower local champions to engage residents in meaningful community safety conversations.
“Increasingly, people are turning to social media to report and discuss crime and safety concerns in their communities,” Inspector Carnes said.
“While this can empower individuals and strengthen community bonds, it can also lead to unintended negative impacts, such as the spread of misinformation, creating fear, and discouraging people from reporting issues through official channels.”
Inspector Carnes said the DCSC program would help equip neighbourhood Facebook group admins and moderators with the tools and resources they needed to run safe, credible and supportive online community spaces, including to:
- Address community concerns and questions about crime and safety.
- Identify and respond to scams or harmful information.
- Share accurate and timely information to encourage positive crime prevention behaviours.
- Moderate or de-escalate content that breaches group rules.
- Build trusted relationships with QPS.
She said as part of the program’s development UTS were conducting a survey to better understand the needs and preferences of group admins and moderators related to running safe groups.
“Workshops will also be held to co-design tailored resources and solutions.”
Inspector Carnes said insights from people managing the online spaces was essential to designing a program that addressed their unique challenges and helped support community safety.
The survey is now live and open until February 2.
