A stolen beach towel in North Tyneside is at the centre of a social media frenzy.
Northumbria Police released details about a theft from Longsands beach in Tynemouthbut it sparked a whole host of responses from members of the public on Facebook andTwitter.
The theft happened on Sunday, July 12 from 4pm to 5pm when a dark blue towel with ‘DRYROBE’ written on the front in red and white was stolen.
News of the incident spread quickly on social media and provoked a variety of strong reaction.
Beard Ian on Facebook said: “It’s what it leads to that worries me. It starts with a flannel, then a towel, then a bathmat. Next thing you know that’s not enough – they need more. They’ll start pilfering bedsheets off washing lines and dust sheets off decorators. Then it’s heroin then murder.”
Darren Gray posted: “A towel!! Come on it’s them seagulls they will eat anything or the wind and sea took it!!”
Clare Stephenson added: “This must be a wind up. If it’s not, can’t believe the police haven’t anything better to do!”
Ricky Rift said: “I had my tuna sandwiches nicked at work today as well.”
Others questioned whether the police appeal was genuine while some claimed the post was made as a joke.
Northumbria Police tweeted: “Some interesting feedback re: stolen towel! We may have to ride the wave on this one. We take all crime seriously – no matter the crime.”
A force spokesman said: “We have received some interesting comments that we will learn from.
“As our communities should expect, we take all reports of crime seriously and victims are our main priority when we set about solving them.
“Indeed, the interest this current issue has generated demonstrates how effective social media can be in reaching large audiences very quickly.
“The appeal regarding the stolen towel was very much intended to be a local request for information so we didn’t expect quite so much interest from so far afield.
“We realise we seem to have kicked sand in our own face and so we may have to ride the wave on this one as we continue to try and find the best ways to use social media to generate interest and information to help solve crimes.”
[“source – chroniclelive.co.uk”]
