Online interference: a new threat to police investigations
Policing in the UK is undergoing a profound shift. Investigations no longer take place solely behind closed doors or on the streets — they now unfold in full view of the public on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). While the internet can be a powerful tool for collaboration, it has also become a major source of disruption, where untrained members of the public act as self-appointed investigators, often spreading misinformation and damaging police efforts.
This has emerged at a time when police forces across the UK face a dual crisis: declining public trust and shrinking resources. With fewer officers, growing demands, and strained relationships with communities, forces are being pulled in too many directions — while simultaneously being held to higher public expectations.
Shrinking budgets, waning trust: the reality police now face
Let’s be clear: the pressure on UK police forces is relentless and growing. Over the past decade, forces have faced repeated funding cuts, coupled with rising population pressures driven by high levels of immigration — resulting in increased crime, more calls for service, and greater demand on already stretched teams. Perhaps even more critically, the internet and social media have created entirely new arenas for criminal behaviour, from cyberstalking to fraud, online harassment, and organised digital crime. Police appear to be lagging behind in both understanding and responding strategically to these fast-evolving threats.
On top of this, political demands have required police forces to divert resources into equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives. While well-intentioned, these have sometimes come at the cost of operational capacity and have not always ensured the recruitment of the most suitable individuals for frontline roles. Coupled with increasingly rigid employment protections, it has become more difficult for forces to remove underperforming officers — even in cases where effectiveness or public confidence is clearly at stake.
These factors combined have left forces under-resourced, under-equipped, and under growing scrutiny from an increasingly vocal, digitally connected public. them with fewer officers, ageing infrastructure, and outdated technologies. Recruitment shortfalls have further strained departments, while public confidence has declined due to a series of high-profile failures, misconduct cases, and growing perceptions of inaction.
At the same time, the expectations placed on the police have never been higher. The public wants swift justice, visible presence, accountability — and now, real-time communication. As the public turns to the internet to fill perceived gaps in policing, more people feel emboldened to “step in,” whether through armchair detective work or social media speculation.
The result? Investigations are increasingly hijacked by digital noise. Amateur sleuths — often without any formal training or awareness of legal boundaries — attempt to solve cases in real time. While some genuinely mean to help, the majority end up spreading false leads, compromising evidence, and creating confusion for both investigators and the wider public. What’s worse, police forces lack the resources to keep up with — let alone manage — these waves of digital interference.
Public interference in the cases of Fawziyah Javed and Nicola Bulley: lessons for digital policing
We’ve seen, in recent years, the real and sometimes devastating consequences of public interference in high-profile investigations. Take, for instance, the murder of Fawziyah Javed in 2021. She was tragically killed by her husband during a trip to Edinburgh, and although justice was ultimately served, the early days of the investigation were clouded by online speculation. Social media quickly filled with personal commentary and armchair analysis about her relationship, much of it inaccurate and intrusive. This online noise, although often presented under the guise of public interest, caused further trauma to Fawziyah’s grieving family and created additional complications for the investigation team.
Fast forward to early 2023, and we witnessed a similar, if not more intense, situation following the disappearance of Nicola Bulley in Lancashire. What began as a missing person case quickly morphed into a nationwide digital spectacle. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok and YouTube, were flooded with videos dissecting every detail of her personal life and speculating wildly on what had happened. Self-styled investigators not only spread misinformation online but also travelled to the area, disturbing the local community and even interfering with police activity. Unverified claims were passed off as fact, and unsubstantiated sightings were amplified to thousands, if not millions, of viewers.
In both of these cases, what may have started as public concern soon escalated into uncoordinated, harmful interference. Despite the intentions of some contributors, the impact was largely negative — diverting police resources, misdirecting public focus, and inflicting additional emotional strain on families already living through tragedy. These examples demonstrate the urgent need for a more responsible and structured approach to how society engages with ongoing police investigations in the digital age.
Digital crime scenes: when the internet becomes part of the investigation
The internet is now the main space where the public communicates about, analyses, and increasingly interferes with police investigations. Online platforms such as Reddit, TikTok, and other social media channels have become breeding grounds for unsanctioned investigations. What may start as curiosity or concern often spirals into a flood of misinformation. People create timelines, share speculative theories, misidentify individuals, and share unverified ‘sightings’ that can rapidly go viral. These posts and videos not only divert attention from the facts but also lead to false leads that waste valuable police time.
Worse still, these online actions can contaminate evidence or compromise the integrity of ongoing investigations. Innocent individuals are sometimes named or accused, leading to real-world consequences such as harassment or reputational harm. Victims’ families are exposed to relentless online scrutiny, which compounds their grief and undermines their ability to process tragedy in private.
This type of behaviour has evolved faster than the law’s ability to regulate it. There is currently no meaningful legal mechanism to limit or prevent such interference. Families can, in theory, apply for injunctions to stop certain public commentary, but in practice, these are rarely granted and almost impossible to enforce in the digital space. The lack of clear legal or procedural boundaries means that digital interference in police investigations continues unchecked, posing serious risks to justice and public trust.
Law enforcement hasn’t kept up with digital realities
Police forces simply aren’t equipped to manage the online elements of modern investigations. Much of their energy is increasingly absorbed by navigating political and social initiatives — often at the cost of core operational preparedness. Police forces are expected to implement complex equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) frameworks, frequently relying on external consultants and detailed administrative processes. While these initiatives aim to address important societal issues, they have diverted critical focus away from equipping officers with the digital skills needed for modern policing. As a result, frontline teams are often left underprepared not only for the technical challenges of internet-era crime but also for the emotional trauma that victims and families face when police appear overwhelmed or ill-equipped to help. Increasingly, forces are expected to understand and implement wide-reaching equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies, often involving detailed frameworks and the use of external consultants. While these efforts may serve broader institutional goals, they have sometimes consumed energy and attention that could otherwise be dedicated to front-line operational readiness.
Only a small fraction of attention and resources has gone toward equipping officers with the skills and mindset to navigate today’s digital landscape. As a result, many within the police force remain undertrained in handling misinformation, online abuse, and the complex digital footprints that now accompany most investigations. More worryingly, they often lack the awareness and tools to properly understand the emotional toll on victims’ families — people who not only endure the trauma of personal loss, but also the added heartbreak of seeing authorities appear unprepared, overwhelmed, or simply unsure of how to help them.
And while the internet could theoretically support investigations through rapid communication and crowd-sourced information, in practice it often creates more problems than solutions — unless it is channelled through clear, structured, and collaborative systems. Without that, forces are left reacting rather than leading in a space that moves far faster than they are prepared for.
The UK has the talent — let’s organise it
Here’s the good news: the UK already has everything it needs to turn this situation around. We’re a nation filled with volunteers, digital experts, legal professionals, and community-minded individuals who genuinely want the police to succeed. From software engineers and cybersecurity professionals to local organisers and mental health advocates, the range of public expertise is enormous. The will to help is there — what’s missing is the structure.
Imagine a national digital volunteer programme that provides formal training and a framework for public involvement. Volunteers could be organised into tiered roles depending on their background and skill sets, and given training in areas such as digital evidence gathering, recognising misinformation, and how to engage respectfully online. Secure channels could be created to allow tips and information to be submitted directly to police without public exposure, ensuring leads are shared responsibly.
Additionally, volunteers could be trained to support victims’ families — acting as liaisons or online monitors to help reduce the emotional burden caused by speculation and harassment. This type of coordinated support would not only relieve pressure on overstretched police forces but would also give well-intentioned citizens a structured way to contribute. Rather than hindering investigations, the public could become a powerful extension of them — if they’re guided and supported properly.
This kind of partnership would show that public engagement and operational control don’t have to be at odds. When channelled correctly, the energy and skill of the community can help policing evolve to meet the demands of a digital age.
Rebuilding public confidence through partnership
Rebuilding trust between the public and the police won’t happen through enforcement alone. It requires transparency, innovation, and collaboration. By formally involving trained public volunteers, the police can show they are not hiding from scrutiny — they are building a stronger, smarter, and more modern relationship with the people they serve.
It’s not about silencing citizens. It’s about giving them a better way to help.