Social Media and Policing

Since its outset, it has been observed that social media is influencing each and every aspect of human life which helps to shape the behavioral trends of the society during its whole process of sharing and receiving.
Focusing on its implications on policing, we may concentrate on the following three prime areas of concern.

1) Complaint Redressal:

▪︎On social media, people have been sharing all types of information including suggestions and complaints, etc. So, a specified Complaint Redressal Portal (CPR) may be created in each media cell of the district which may filter the complaints and issues of the people from the hub of shared information.

▪︎Complaints lodged on social media be resolved, at the earliest because it flourishes more effectively and rapidly towards the society as compared to the solution of the complaints at formal or manual platforms .i.e. administrative & judicial.

▪︎Presentation of the redressed and resolved complaints uploaded on the interfaces of social media be crafted more appealing and driving in nature to strengthen the responsive impact of police towards society.

2) Performance Evaluation:

▪︎In this era, social media is the basic measure to evaluate the performance of each department/ institution. So, media cells of all districts are supposed to share the performance of the Department including crime control, handling of law & order, and provision of the security, etc on all official accounts and also furnish its head wise performance reports to all concerned, on weekly basis.
▪︎Comparison of the performance among the wings, units & divisions is the basic yardstick for evaluation. Hence, such weekly comparison reports are also furnished and uploaded on social media.
▪︎A review of the suggestions of the society regarding appreciation or dissatisfaction with the performance is taken into consideration for the furtherance of the performance.

3) Reach among the Masses:

▪︎The media cells at each district must adopt needful and drastic measures to enhance the number of their followers for the promotion of all official accounts.
▪︎All the officers/ officials are to create their accounts on social media particularly on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram, etc., and also follow the official accounts of the Police for the advancement of the Department.

▪︎It’s generally observed that most of the running official accounts are found created on the personal IDs of the officials appointed in the media cells. Which is a constant alert for the permanent working of the accounts and also for the backup. So, all official accounts may be created on the official IDs of the concerned district & division.