Monash police Facebook Eyewatch page moves crime fighting online

Monash police have gone digital to help fight crime and keep the community safe.

Senior Sergeant Mark Standish is one of many friendly faces who post content to the Monash Eyewatch page. Picture: Stuart Milligan

For Senior Sergeant Mark Standish, the equation is simple.

As a community police officer, he sees his role as one of the many officers in charge of Monash’s Eyewatch page on Facebook as an extension of what he regularly does in the physical world.

“We recognise this is not something we can do alone,” Sen-Sgt Standish said.

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“We need community support. So the more information we can get out there, hopefully the more information we can get back either to 000 or to Crime Stoppers to enhance community safety.”

After starting the Monash Eyewatch page about a year ago, it now has more than 2500 followers.

“We are looking to provide them with crime and safety information so they can act on that information and perhaps target harden themselves against crime or whatever the need be,” Sen-Sgt Standish said.

Importantly, it is regarded as an extra way that the community and police can communicate.

Sen-Sgt Standish, who is based at Mt Waverley, likes to mix things up on the page.

A few images of crooks there, some crime prevention here, throw in the odd bit of live traffic or emergency information and cap it off with quirky stories of what officers are doing in the community.

“We are looking to provide them with information on offenders or offending, maybe heighten their awareness of suspicious activity, and try to tell them what information is important to us,” he said.

And it has garnered some success beyond better engagement.

“Last year we put up some images of offenders and within a few months three or four of them had been identified through phone calls to Crime Stoppers,” he said.

“That was a great result.”

As more and more people follow the page, Sen-Sgt Standish is excited to see what comes — including more feedback.

“That’s what we want. I’m happy for more feedback to come,” he said.

Sen-Sgt Standish encouraged people with friends or relatives living in Monash to let them know about the page and grow the audience: “The more the merrier in terms of enhanced community safety and reducing crime.”

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