Communication crisis management of the public security policy: the social media landscape of the police in Portugal

José Gabriel Andrade*, Nuno Jorge de Lima Ferreira

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter discusses crisis communication management in the Portuguese public security police digital landscape, mainly focused on social media. This is an exploratory investigation it is intended to understand how crisis communication management methodologies in the digital environment can be applied in police intervention, so its legitimacy is reinforced. The study is divided into two parts, the literature review, and the empirical research. The data was gathered together through an interview survey, with the participation of four public security police officers and four investigators. The interviews were transcribed, and their content was analyzed. In an emergency situation, most of the actions are communication activities, so its management in the digital landscape-above all social media-is critical for the police success, as an institution under strong scrutiny and whose actions depend on the citizen cooperation. Communication is essential for building reputation and should be used in threats to legitimacy, and as a tool for reaching out to the community.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationResearch anthology on managing crisis and risk communications
PublisherIGI Global Publishing
Pages145-166
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781668471463
ISBN (Print)9781668471456
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jul 2022
Externally publishedYes

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