A Polish police officer is using his native roots to help solve crimes in west London via Twitter.
Adam Pawlowski, a Safer Neighbourhoods Sergeant in Hammersmith and Fulham, is the first Met police officer to use the social networking site to write and translate crime prevention advice, news, appeals and messages in Polish.
Using the borough police's twitter account, @MPSHammFul, he has been getting the message out to the area's large Polish community since Monday (August 4) and has had a great response.
Born in Poland, Sergeant Pawlowski has lived in London for 11 years and is one of the Met's 63 police officers who are of Polish origin.
He said: "Social media is increasingly becoming an important part of our day job and is the way forward in reaching those who do not speak English as a first language.
“Polish tweets are crucial in talking to our community in the language they feel comfortable with and confident in responding too. It's only been a matter of days since our first Polish tweet, and have already received great feedback from Twitter users and followers.
“We feel confident and excited that this will allow us to build on trust and confidence from our ever-growing Polish community."
Chief Inspector of Neighbourhood Policing, Simon Causer said they had identified a real need to communicate crucial messages to west London's Polish and Eastern European communities via social media .
"We see the introduction of a new language on our twitter feeds as a natural solution and opportunity to develop," he said.
"Our work to develop further languages is by no means over, and our plans to roll twitter out to further communities is ongoing. Our ultimate aim is to reflect the diversity of this borough, be inclusive and considerate in how we communicate to the public to and keep Hammersmith and Fulham safe.”
Stay up to date with police news and appeals in the borough in both English and Polish by following @MPSHammFul on twitter.
