Case Study:
@SurreyRoadCops
Overview of the approach
Surrey Roads Policing Unit currently have a following
of 95,000 on Twitter and have won awards for their
use of social media. Their Twitter account is used as a
form of public engagement, with information relating
to traffic stops, offending behaviours, results from court
proceedings, collisions and road closures. The account
is well-populated, with multiple posts every day. Various
members of the Unit contribute to the account, ensuring
that information is posted around the clock. Most of the
posts include images or GIFs, making them eye-catching,
with emojis and hashtags also used. Some posts are
professional in tone but some are lighthearted and give
the account character.
Much of the information provided is reactive - it is a
representation of daily work, experiences or issues
alongside live responses to public enquiries. Most of
the content cannot, therefore, be pre-planned or
pre-scheduled and so maintenance of the account
does require time and effort on a daily basis.
Surrey’s Road Policing Twitter approach certainly
attracts attention amongst the road user
community. Consider exploring (and following
it) for a range of examples of innovative and
engaging content.
Mobile:Engaged contribution
Knowledge exchange
After closely following the SurreyRoadCops account for some time, and delving into its activities, we held a
Knowledge Exchange Consultation (KEC) with an officer working for Surrey Police who contributes extensively
to the social media strategy. As one of the leading force accounts on Twitter, the knowledge exchange was
genuinely two-way, with learning and sharing on both sides. The information in this section relates to this
particular account, but is readily transferable to other police force and road safety accounts.
Beyond ‘awareness’ - creating behavioural change
The Surrey social media approach is generally used to inform members of the public of the unit’s daily work,
highlighting the reasoning behind what they do and some of the results of their actions taken in response to
problematic behaviour on the roads. Informing individuals of the law and the legal consequences associated
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