PR for police forces is essential, both to represent them in the community, but also to support marketing campaigns.
The difficulty is finding a suitable public relations agency, as there are hundreds around the UK.
We do advise talking with agencies that have experience in doing media relations for the emergency services.
Just fill in the form to speak with 5 local public relations agencies that have experience of work with the police.
There are 54 police forces governing England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Each of these is unique and has their own shield, motto, budget and history.
All UK forces are answerable to central government, but all are run individually with their own strategies, volunteers and community support officers (PCSO’s). Public relations & the media are useful for a variety of needs.
As all police forces are run individually, all have their own marketing programs. All have their own websites, their own strategy and use their own ways of communicating with the media.
The use of marketing therefore is quite different to commercial businesses. It is not about lead generation or sales; but it is more about brand awareness and communication to the public. There is not the same pressure for figures, as there is with other business sectors in terms of sales.
Rather it is more about getting a specific message across. This could be in relation to community safety, crime prevention or road safety as an example.
With the rise in police programs on TV, such as Crimewatch, and Line Of Duty this in itself can act as a marketing message. The campaign does need to be reflected in the police website for continuity in the marketing message.
Public relations for the police is a big part of marketing, making the public aware of issues, threats and police manoeuvres is very important.
It also builds confidence with the public. Any number of these topics can use campaigns to generate public awareness.
In respect to drug abuse, street crime, domestic violence or car crime, and are linked to the topics in hand.
Raising brand awareness is good for building relations with the public.
Revelations that force staff were involved by accepting payments from News Of The World means that positive media support was needed, in order to protect the image and reputation of the police force/MET.
Due to the importance of the work that the constabulary do, it is essential for the media agency to be effective also in communicating with the media.
For this, experience is required; rather than working with just any agency.
If you choose a public relations company that has a track record of doing PR for schools, they will not be suitable.
Choosing a marketing company for a police force is not an easy business.
With so many PR agencies around the UK to choose from, it makes good sense working with one that understands the police sector. However cost is also a factor.
As they are profit making businesses, care needs to be taken in allocation of public money. PR prices do vary from agency to agency, depending on the agencies overheads, staff costs, profit margins, so shopping around is wise, to receive advice and compare costs.
There are hundreds of public relations agencies in the UK with varying backgrounds; and many do have experience of working with various forces.
As a price comparison website, we want to help you find the best public relations company, for the lowest price.