Essex Police Arrest And Charge Man For Planning Water Fight Over Blackberry Messenger

The riots that are going on in England are making headlines around the world. Rioters are burning and looting stores and destroying property and the British government is trying just about anything to stop the riots and catch the looters. Blackberry announced previously that it would work with the government in England to find people during the riots that were using Blackberry Messenger to organize. The police fear that rioters are using the service to plan group crimes.

I mentioned earlier today that Prime Minister Cameron is talking about possibly banning the use of social networking sites during times of civil unrest. It seems that the first act of cooperation between BBM and authorities in the UK came by way of the Essex police arresting a man for organizing a water fight using BBM.

The 20-year old organizer of what appears to have been a planned water gun war was arrested along with another man. One of the men was released with no charges and the organizer of the event was charged with encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence under the 2007 Serious Crime Act according to police. The man was released on bail and is due to appear before Colchester magistrates on September 1.

[via Guardian]