A VOLUNTEER crime-busting Facebook page has ceased operating after it posted the image of an innocent man, wrongly suspected of committing a crime, leaving Gateways Shopping Centre in Cockburn.

The administrator of the Cockburn WA Crime Watch Facebook page has stood down and the page will not resume until someone else steps up to do the job.

“I unreservedly apologise to this man and his family and friends, and hope that he can forgive me for tarnishing his name amongst his peers,” the administrator posted.

“Ultimately the buck stops with me as page owner, and I should have been more careful when creating posts that can negatively affect people’s lives.”

It’s not the first time the crime site has jumped the gun: in November it posted the photo of a door-to-door collector after Spearwood residents reported the man was rude, had acted strangely and wasn’t wearing a badge with a name and ID number on it.

The site later removed the photo after it confirmed the man was legit and had been working for the WA Disabled Sports Association Inc, which employs people who can struggle to find gainful employment, as well as those with disabilities.

Jaimie Zander, senior law lecturer at Murdoch University, says the incident highlights the perils of the community behaving like police on social media.

“I really worry that the increased use of crime-watch pages through social media have the potential to increase the amount of fear in the community,” she says.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK