Saskatoon police take issue with social media posts

Saskatoon police are calling out social media posts reporting crimes that didn’t happen.

They made a Facebook post critical of people taking to social media instead of filing a police report.

Staff Sgt. Grant Obst said that no matter how good their intentions are, this doesn’t do the department any favours.

“In some cases, we’ll see the post go up, but the police have been contacted, have already investigated the situation, and found it to be virtually nothing at all,” he told 650 CKOM.

He said situations like this are frustrating.

“That obviously takes up time and resources that could be better spent on things that actually have happened.”

Beyond the waste, he says these posts can also result in needless fear-mongering.

“Some of them paint a picture of a supposed abduction, or a young woman being taken hostage,” he said.

“That can create concern, sometimes fear, and anxiety in our community for no reason at all.”

He said police would know about something like that before it hit social media.

“If that type of event were to occur in Saskatoon, you would see a media release come out from the police service within minutes or hours.”

He recommended that anyone who thinks they see a crime or emergency call the police immediately.