Police are finding it increasingly difficult to compete with the speed of social media when they inform families about the loss of their loved ones.Assistant Commissioner David Mirfield has spoken of the “unnecessary distress” being caused to families who stumble across tragic news when they are least expecting it.It is taking just minutes for the names of those murdered or killed in road traffic accidents to be circulated across the Island via Facebook and BlackBerry Messenger.The result is that mothers and fathers are learning about the deaths of their children before police officers have had the chance to reach them.Mr Mirfield is now urging people to “think about the families” and to stop publishing unconfirmed names without considering the consequences.It comes after Kaywell Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette she read on Facebook that her son Malcolm had been murdered, more than an hour after he was found. The 18-year-old was stabbed to death on the Railway Trail near his Warwick home on October 28.The death of St David’s cricketer Landro Minors was also immediately being discussed on Facebook before his parents knew. Many of the 27-year-old’s friends learned of his death in a bike accident on November 2 by reading the online postings.Mr Mirfield said the Bermuda Police Service took its role of informing next of kin that relatives had died “very seriously”.He said they tried to track down family members at “the earliest possible opportunity” but their emphasis was on providing accurate information “in a sensitive and timely manner”.Mr Mirfield said: “The power of social media has made the solemn duty of informing next of kin increasingly difficult.“We continue to discourage the dissemination of unconfirmed information by the public or the media, as this can cause unnecessary distress.”He added: “While there is no way to control the distribution of images and information through various technological means, even when it’s regarding a recently deceased individual, we urge those members of the public engaging in such activity to think of the family members who may learn of the death of a loved one via text, BBM or e-mail as a result.”The police offered a similar warning in February this year after disturbing pictures of the blood-soaked body of Colford Ferguson, 29, were circulated via e-mail after he was gunned down in Mangrove Bay.It came after a picture of a 19-year-old man who was not the deceased circulated widely via e-mail.That picture even reached the BlackBerrys of Members of Parliament as they reflected on the latest violence in the House of Assembly.Reading unconfirmed reports of incidents is a particular problem in Bermuda because of the rise in popularity of social media and the small size of the Island where so many people know each other.Postings can be potentially hurtful and damaging to relatives even if a name isn’t used. For example, a victim’s identity can be gleaned from pieces of information given by different people, including initials, a home parish, a sports team or a mother’s or father’s name.The police understand people are often just trying to send out their condolences to those they know, but Mr Mirfield said it’s even more disturbing if the wrong names are circulated.He said: “Within an hour of the tragic murder of 18-year-old Malcolm Outerbridge, a photo and name claiming to be that of the deceased was being circulated via cell phone but in that instance both were incorrect.”Even though the media may know the names of victims, organisations often don’t name them until the Bermuda Police Service has officially released the information.Mr Mirfield said every situation was different, but it was never the police’s objective to take an inordinate period of time.He said they worked to ensure the appropriate resources were available to assist the victim’s grieving family, including specially trained family liaison officers who facilitate relatives during tragic circumstances.Mr Mirfield said: “Confirming death and positively identifying the victim must take place before efforts are made to contact an immediate family member at the earliest possible opportunity.“If the next of kin is located overseas, notification may take longer. Our intention in this process is to provide accurate information to the victim’s next of kin in a sensitive and timely manner.“Only when the police are satisfied that the next of kin have been informed, and the identity of the person confirmed, will the police make the name public.”Shadow National Security Minister Craig Cannonier reiterated the police’s warning to “take the time to think” before posting anything via social media.He said people needed to ask themselves: “Would this hurt someone if I send it out? If yes, don’t post.”Mr Cannonier said: “I can only imagine how devastating that must be a sense of profound disbelief would be my first reaction if I was to read that a member of my family had been hurt or killed.“It is a cold and impersonal way to find out that one of those near and dear to us have been hurt.”He added: “The way we communicate is constantly evolving and we will continue to see change in how we talk and message. Technology will change but our humanity should not.”