A new report into the police response to the public disorder following the Southport murders in 2024 highlights the need for greater openness and transparency around major investigations, the Director of the Society of Editors has said.
Today’s report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) titled ‘An inspection of the police response to the public disorder in July and August 2024: Tranche 2’ found that the police service was ill-equipped to tackle the impact of online content during the serious disorder in 2024 and forces need to be better prepared to manage the risks that online content and disinformation posted online poses to the public. The review also recommended that ‘the police service must do more to communicate online and fill the information void with the truth’ as well as being more ‘robust in countering online content that contains misinformation or disinformation’.
Responding to the report, Dawn Alford, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: “Today’s report by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary is welcome and highlights the need for police forces to be more open and transparent when communicating with the public around major investigations.
“As was evident in Southport, and has been seen elsewhere during other high-profile investigations, where there is a vacuum of information this often leads to speculation and misinformation being published online and forces must respond quickly to inaccuracies and work with the media to combat fake news and conspiracy theories and communicate the facts to the public.
“A successful working relationship between police forces and reporters remains essential to public confidence and policing legitimacy in the UK and we stand ready to work with the College of Policing to drive forward much-needed change in this area.”
Today’s report also found that there was no conclusive evidence that the disorder that followed the Southport murders was co-ordinated by extremist groups but found that it was mostly incited by “disaffected individuals, influencers or groups” online.
His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke said misinformation and disinformation posted online helped fuel the disorder and called for social media companies to act more quickly to take down misleading posts as well as greater powers for regulator Ofcom to take action.
The report can be read in full here.
Photo: PA Media
