Engaging and Developing the Community Through Social Media: A Pragmatic Analysis in Policing Context in Hong Kong

Social media becomes increasingly popular among members of the public. The emergence of this new trend in the twenty-first century raises new opportunities for government agencies to extend their community networks for their operations. Here, we present a case study on how the Hong Kong Police Force should develop its social media public relations and policing strategies. In recent years, there is a growing trend that some opinions form quickly through social media with its quick viral cycle in Hong Kong. There are occasions where the conflicts between the Hong Kong Police Force and some members of the public are results of communication breakdown. Hence, it is becoming increasingly important for the law enforcement agencies, such as police, to properly engage with members of the public for public relations purpose. Plus, there have been a number of instances in the past few years, which materials involving confidential information related to the government agencies have been uploaded onto Web sites and blogs in Hong Kong. These situations do not only generate a lot of discussions among the online community in Hong Kong, but also engender public discussions from different angles as well as the safety of law enforcement officers. In this research, we use balanced scorecard to analyze the alternative strategies that the Hong Kong Police Force can use in social media. Based on our analysis, we develop strategic approaches, which are useful for law enforcement agencies and government agencies to develop their social media management and engagement policies.