For the first time, RCMP in Nova Scotia compiled a top 12 list of the most liked and shared stories on its Facebook page.

‘What better way to highlight stories of interest from the past year then to share those that citizens selected as the most interesting or most talked about,’ says Paula Sibley-Fox, Nova Scotia RCMP Strategic Communications Unit Director.

‘We picked the top 12 as posts numbers 11 and 12 were so close in views and shares, we didn’t want to miss highlighting them.’

Ms. Sibley-Fox added, ‘I want to also take this opportunity to thank our social media followers for all of their shares and retweets throughout the year. When we ask for the public’s assistance, citizens always rise to the occasion and help. This has directly resulted in us identifying suspects or finding missing people throughout 2014.’

Top 12 most liked and shared stores on Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia Facebook:

1. Fallen Moncton RCMP officers – A picture is worth a thousand words. On June 6th, a picture taken of the hundreds of flowers that were dropped out front of the Codiac RCMP detachment was posted to the RCMP Nova Scotia Facebook page. Approximately 200,000 followers connected sharing their words of condolences, sympathy, sadness and shock regarding the tragic shootings of Cst. Doug Larche, Cst. Dave Ross and Cst. Fabrice Gevaudan. Photo attached.

2. Memorial ribbon – On June 5th, with sadness in our hearts and tears in our eyes we posted a photo of the police memorial ribbon with a note of condolences to our policing family in New Brunswick. The ribbon is worn when an officer dies in the line of duty and it is a way to show respect and honour to the fallen.

3. Homicide of Loretta Saunders – On February 26th, a new release announcing that investigators with the Integrated Major Crimes Unit, with the assistance of RCMP in New Brunswick, had located the body of Loretta Saunders. This was a tragic and sad ending to a missing person’s case. Two persons were later arrested and are currently facing charges before the courts.

4. Telemarketing scams – In July, the RCMP warned the public of two telemarketing scams where citizens reported that they received a phone call from a male who claimed to be an RCMP Constable. The caller told people he was soliciting money to fund an RCMP anti-bullying book and requested donations of $100 to $300.

5. Cabot Trail bus crash- A bus crash on the Cabot Trial in July was the number five most viewed story on the RCMP Facebook page. Sadly a 70-year-old female passenger from New Jersey, U.S.A. died when the tour bus carrying 21 passengers rolled into the ditch, landing on its side near Neil’s Harbour.

6. Moncton man charged – A post shared to announce that three charges of First Degree Murder and two counts of Attempted Murder had been laid against the 24-year-old man responsible for the shootings of five RCMP officers generated a high response from followers. The accused was later convicted and is now serving 75 years in jail.

7. Rewards for following the law – A program led by Colchester District RCMP generated lots of interest on Facebook. Instead of solely focusing on the driving infractions of local drivers, RCMP members sought out drivers who were following the law. Instead of issuing a ticket, officer’s rewarded drivers with a small token of appreciation. The program was a joint effort between RCMP and Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Cobequid.

8. Identifying deceased man- Officers with the Integrated VICE unit once again appealed to the public for assistance identifying a deceased man. On October 8th, 2004, members of the RCMP responded to a complaint of human remains that were located in a wooded area off Highway 102 near the Halifax Stanfield International Airport. To date the investigation has not been able to confirm the identity of the individual. RCMP are hopeful that posting the pictures to social media may lead to a break in the case.

9. Introduction of changes to Nova Scotia’s Graduated Driver’s Licence program – RCMP shared the news release issued by Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal on October 23rd. These changes generated lots of interest and conversation from our Facebook followers.

10. Statement from the wives of Cst. Doug Larche, Cst. Dave Ross and Cst. Fabrice Gevaudan – Nadine Larche, Rachael Ross, and Angela Gevaudan issued a joint statement to media on October 28th, 2014 regarding the court proceedings. The post, shared from the RCMP in New Brunswick, reaffirmed the love and support that Canadians have for the families.

11. Search for Marty Leger – For over five days, approximately 450 Ground Search & Rescue (GSAR) volunteers from across the Maritimes, and Joint Task Force Atlantic personnel searched the Spider Lake area in very challenging conditions. The searchers were looking for Marty Leger, a 30-year-old mountain biker who went missing on May 29th. Sadly, Marty was not located. The case remains a missing person case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the RCMP or Halifax Regional Police.

12. Police arrest nine impaired drivers in eight hours – On December 13th, Halifax District RCMP shared that nine impaired drivers were arrested while conducting checkpoints and responding to motor vehicle crashes overnight. The response was positive for RCMP and Halifax Regional Police efforts but was a shocking reminder that people continue to still make a bad decision and get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol and /or drugs.

 

Source: Release