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Police in Norwich take to Twitter to track down injured cyclist

Officers were concerned for man’s welfare following collision in Norwich yesterday

Police in Norfolk took to Twitter yesterday to find a man who had sustained a head injury in a road traffic collision while cycling in Norwich.

Officers made appeals via the Twitter accounts of Norfolk Constabulary and the Norfolk & Suffolk Roads Policing Team for the rider, who left the scene, to come forward.

In the early hours of the morning, police tweeted that they had found the cyclist in question and confirmed he needed medical attention.

The incident is an example of how police increasingly use social media to help in their investigations, although most forces stress that their accounts are not monitored around the clock and that the best way of contacting them is by phone on 101 or, in an emergency, 999.

In May 2013, Norfolk Police picked up on the infamous tweet from motorist Emma Way in which she said: “Definitely knocked a cyclist off earlier – I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax," signing off with the hashtag #bloodycyclists.

After being alerted to her message, Norfolk Police tweeted her, saying: “We have had tweets ref an RTC with a bike. We suggest you report it at a police station ASAP if not done already & then dm us.”

In November 2013, Way was fined £300 plus costs of £337 and had her licence endorsed with seven penalty points after being found guilty of failing to stop after an accident and failure to report an accident. However, she was cleared of a third count of careless driving.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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antigee | 7 years ago
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"riotgibbon 

are there any instances of the rozzers using Strava flybys to figure out who might have witnessed a crime?"

suspect been tried but the police quickly found that "I had my head down" thawrted enquiries

 

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riotgibbon | 7 years ago
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are there any instances of the rozzers using Strava flybys to figure out who might have witnessed a crime?

I've got a mate on my Strava list who is a reasonably senior copper, and I had to suggest to him that he setup privacy on home/work, so I don't know how up on that they are ....

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