Test-it te lo pone a huevo: Law enforment the Twitter way

Spain's National Police have made effective use of the social network to raise their profile.

“In 2009, I asked for a police presence on the social networks, the same as we have on the streets,” says Juan José Esteban, director of communication for Spain’s National Police. Five years later, more than 1,140,000 people follow @policia on Twitter, including many informants who have helped arrest around 500 criminals, among them some of Spain’s most-wanted. The police’s Twitter account has also been used to promote safety campaigns, such as this summer’s drive to encourage people to be more aware of the dangers of swimming along the country’s shoreline. It has also provided information about Ebola, and is working to stamp out student hazing rituals.

Using informal language -which sometimes borders on the adolescent- and taking a provocative tone, the National Police’s Twitter account has certainly helped raise the force’s profile. When a man was arrested this summer accused of a series of sexual assaults against children in a Madrid neighborhood, the police received 200,000 tweets congratulating it. Over the course of an average day, they get sent around 3,000 tweets, around 200 of which are “useful” investigative leads that have helped them make drugs seizures, stop the distribution of child pornography, and even prevent threats against television personalities.

Last week, National Police Director General Ignacio Cosidó presented the book @policia: Success Stories, which charts the initiative. No other Spanish institution has managed to capture the public’s attention in the same way – the Twitter feed has four times the number of followers as the government’s @desdelamoncloa. “We’re not promoting anybody here, it’s not about this or that minister, we’re not promoting the police even, we’re just serving the public,” Cosidó said.

Basado en El país in English.com

A. EJERCICIOS DE COMPRENSIÓN SOBRE UN TEXTO

1. Contesta a las siguientes preguntas usando tus propias palabras.

A. What did Juan José Esteban ask for?

He asked for a police presence on the social networks, the same as we have on the streets.

B. What is this Twitter account being used for?

It has helped arrest around 500 criminals, it has also been used to promote safety campaigns. It has also provided information about Ebola, and is working to stamp out student hazing rituals.

C. Why is, according to Cosidó, this Twitter account having such a success?

Because they’re not promoting anybody here, it’s not about this or that minister, we’re not promoting the police even, we’re just serving the public.

2. Di si las siguientes afirmaciones son verdaderas (V) o falsas (F) y justifica tus respuestas con oraciones del texto:

[ ] @policia helped arrest some of the most-wanted international criminals.

F. “ it has helped arrest around 500 criminals, among them some of the Spain's most-wanted”

[ ] @policia receives around 3.000 tweets a day.

V. “Over the course of an average day, they get sent around 3,000 tweets”

[ ] @policia doubles the number of followers of @desdelamoncloa.

F. “the Twitter feed has four times the number of followers as the government’s @desdelamoncloa”.

B. CONOCIMENTO DE LA LENGUA

3. Busca en el texto las palabras que correspondan a las siguientes definiciones.

A. person who gives information about a thing (noun): INFORMANT
B. to help or encourage to flourish (verb): PROMOTE
C. any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently (noun): RITUAL
D. a side view, outline, or representation of an object, especially of a human face or head: PROFILE

4. Busca en el texto un sinónimo para cada una de las siguientes palabras: