Canadian law enforcement and emergency services consider adopting Meta’s Threads

For quite some time, Twitter has served as a primary platform for the media and the general public to access immediate updates from public agencies, particularly during safety-related incidents.

Threads entered the market at a tumultuous period for Twitter, as it underwent significant changes after being acquired by billionaire Elon Musk. His leadership has led certain users to explore alternative platforms.

With the widespread adoption of Threads, Meta’s alternative to Twitter, Canadian police and emergency response agencies are actively exploring the possibility of integrating this new text-based application.

While a number of Canadian public agencies have already established a presence on Threads, many others are currently evaluating the possibility of launching their own accounts on the platform.

Among the early adopters of Threads are the police services in Calgary and Edmonton.

According to Carolin Maran, spokesperson for the Edmonton Police Service, the force already has a Threads account and is in the process of developing a comprehensive strategy for its continued utilization. She further mentioned that the existing Twitter accounts of the force will continue to remain active alongside Threads.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) expressed openness towards utilizing Threads, but at present, it has decided to maintain its current platforms, which include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram—the latter being a Meta-owned product that served as the foundation for Threads.

Firefighter and police agencies in Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal have expressed their interest in Threads and are currently in the process of evaluating the platform. However, they have not yet created official accounts on Threads.