Essex Police faced backlash today with the release of an advent calendar, with each day being a festive portrait of a person on their most wanted list. The first man to appear is Lambeth local Tiras Downie, with “links to Wandsworth and Ipswich”:
Our first wanted person in the advent calendar series is Tiras Downie, 38.
He’s wanted on suspicion of breaching a court order and has links to Wandsworth & Ipswich.
Last known to be living in the Lambeth area.
Call Pc Clare Thomas at Harlow police station on 101 with info. pic.twitter.com/kbkXEoGgSZ— Essex Police (@EssexPoliceUK) December 1, 2017
Only four hours after the release of the first picture on Twitter, the department received scepticism, bewilderment and disapproval from the Twittersphere.
User @OfficialSkribz said: “A man possibly losing his freedom? I’m mad confused in where the joke is.”
Another user simply called it “sacrilegious”, while others still disapprove of the association between crime and Christmas: “I find it so very distasteful that you are using an ‘advent calendar’ which in my mind is associated with a happy festive time, to promote your posts to catch wanted criminals!!!!!”
The force has promised to remove the festive photoshopped border around the suspect picture, though they will still post a new picture each day of the advent.
Alternatively, many people think the idea is brilliantly clever.
“Is it bad that I’m actually excited for the Christmas Day baddie?” user JimBobWalton said.
Other tweets of support feature simply the crying laughing emoji, and the tweet has over 100 favorites and 300 retweets.
They could have at least photoshopped a Santa hat on him as well https://t.co/RWwCTdzSjo
— Martin Belam (@MartinBelam) December 1, 2017
This is not the first advent calendar of its kind: this time last year Europol had the same idea, though their wanted list spanned 23 countries and included murderers, kidnappers and international terrorists.
Help the Austrian police to catch this murderer, on the run for 21yrs 🏃 He killed a prostitute in ’86 https://t.co/Xz1ZpHpuxI pic.twitter.com/JMugyAW6ZB
— Europol (@Europol) December 1, 2016
Essex police seemed to at least achieve one of their goals: to capture public attention. By using this unique format and capitalising on the advent calendar phenomena, they hoped to raise awareness and vigilance to help catch some of the people on their list.
“If you have any information on any of the people we put out, please call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111,” police said.
