Tweeting Carnival to keep you safe
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Europe's biggest street party is a litmus test for the Met.
With the Olympics just two years away, it shows the world how British police handle large-scale events.
Carnival 2010 is expecting more than a million revellers over this August bank holiday weekend.
It's tiny compared with the number of visitors predicted for London 2012.
Yet this year for the first time, Scotland Yard will be using a Twitter account to communicate with the crowds.
So yes, even the Met is embracing the social media revolution.
It's something the capital's police service apparently tried out during the Climate Camp demonstrations last August and again they think it'll be a good idea to connect with the masses.
Well, at least for those who have succumbed to tweeting. It's currently all the rage in BBC London's office in Broadcasting House . I hear nothing else now but: "Have you tweeted today?" Help!
Anyway, I've just been reading the Met's foray into the digital world (https://twitter.com/CO11MetPolice) and it's a mix of warnings/advice and on how to stay safe.
Will it work? Are you hooked on Twitter? Is it taking over your life?
I’m Guy Smith, BBC London’s Home Affairs Correspondent. I'll be writing about law and order and how it affects us. 
Comment number 1.
At 16:52 17th Aug 2010, Downwind13 wrote:Great pix. Now we know how some officers in the Met....TWEET. Happy tweeting Guy. Hope BBC London News turn you loose on Carnival. Looking forward to your coverage.
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Comment number 2.
At 16:18 21st Aug 2010, BluesBerry wrote:Europe's biggest street party is a litmus test for the Met or Twitter as used by the Met for crowd control?
Personally, with the number of tweets that I'd project for the Olympics, I think the Met will go a little nuts trying to read them and respond accordingly.
This little sampling was "tiny compared with the number of visitors predicted for London 2012", and yet I found the tweets practically useless and repetitive. If I were a policeman, I'd be talking to my union about turning the darned things off.
Scotland Yard will be using a Twitter account to communicate with the crowds...Wow, in that two people can take the same message two different way, imagine thousands of people interpreting a message! I hope Scotland Yard has a really awesome tweeter.
The Met is embracing the social media revolution, but will the embrace put it on its face.
As for the rage in Broadcasting House. The next time you hear: "Have you tweeted today?" Answer: That's for birds, or for those who which to communicate with bird-brains.
Will it work? No.
Are you hooked on Twitter? No.
Is it taking over your life? I seem to communicate quite fine without it.
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Comment number 3.
At 20:50 22nd Aug 2010, U14532624 wrote:I hope to see more London 2012 blogs
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Comment number 4.
At 16:17 25th Aug 2010, Guy Smith wrote:Bluesberry: I agree with the notion that we can all communicate far more effectively face-to-face. Micro-blogging like Twitter can become quite addictive and distract you from the job at hand. However, as a journalistic tool, it can be quite instructive and allow you to tap into the current online zeitgeist. The benefit is you can get some good leads and case studies. But will it help the police? I don't know yet!
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