The Sarnia, Ont., police force backtracked over the weekend when it deleted a tweet about a woman’s arrest which many in the community felt was meant to shame those who are struggling with poverty.
The original tweet was sent out on Friday and featured a photo of multiple grocery items, including cleaning supplies and frozen foods.
“Strike 3…. YOU ARE GOING FOR BAIL,” the caption read. “A female was arrested today, after she was caught for the third time this month stealing from the same retail store. She was held for bail to prevent her from continuing to reoffend.” The hashtag #fivefingerdiscount was also included in the tweet.
Many took issue with the intention of the tweet, which they felt was meant to shame and punish vulnerable people who can’t afford to feed themselves.
The police force appeared to have received the message from the backlash and deleted the original post. They followed up with a statement, acknowledging that the tweet was “not in keeping” with their “internal and community expectations.”
While the statement does not include a formal apology, Chief of Police Derek Davis admits that when it comes to communicating through social media, they “do not always get that right.”
“We are in the process of a review of our social media policies and those changes will be shared with our members as we move forward,” the statement read.
Many on social media still felt the police weren’t doing enough to remedy the hardship they’d done, or help a woman who might have been in need.
Others wanted to know what happened to the woman who was arrested and how they could help her.
Some defended the original tweet.
A representative from the Sarnia police force declined a request for further comment from Yahoo News Canada.
