MPS pilots dedicated Polish Twitter account for Londoners

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has launched a new pilot Twitter service @MPSPolska for its London-based Polish community.

The new service will translate important messages on fighting crime and keeping communities safe into Polish, helping thousands of Londoners to become more connected to their local policing team.

Polish is the second most spoken language in the UK after English, with more than half-a-million people using it as their first language according to the 2011 census.

The new service will be piloted initially in Ealing and Hounslow, where 6.3 per cent and 4.1 per cent of the local population speak Polish respectively.

The officer behind the initiative is PC Magdalena Rosiak, who said it was a great opportunity to engage with the local Ealing and Hounslow Polish community in their own language.

“Overcoming language barriers is key when talking to people in local communities. Strong communication is vital for effective policing particularly when assisting victims of crime or piecing together information,” she added.

“Social media is a fantastic way to bring policing closer to the communities we serve. Of course I can’t physically talk to every Polish speaker in London, but through the new services everyone can stay fully informed about what is going on.”

Last August, Adam Pawlowski, a Safer Neighbourhoods sergeant in Hammersmith and Fulham, was the first MPS police officer to use Twitter to write and translate crime-prevention advice, news, appeals and messages in Polish using the borough police’s Twitter account.