From Facebook to Instagram, Punjab Police work to ramp up social media outreach

This is just one of the many social media posts being put up by the Punjab Police as it uses Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram to connect with the masses. “Social media is a very powerful medium in today’s date to connect with people, even more powerful than electronic media. It is a great source for real-time information,” says Amit Prasad, Additional Director General of Police (Counter Intelligence), who is the nodal officer for Punjab Police social media.

The state police force is now in the process of increasing its outreach in the virtual world by taking it to the police station level. “From the district level, we are now taking it to the police station level. Those who are managing the social media platforms in the districts across the state are police personnel. They double up to perform policing and law and order duties and manage social media…basically, multi-tasking,” says Prasad.

The Punjab Police’s centralised social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and X are managed by a team stationed at the Chandigarh police headquarters. There are dedicated accounts at the district level too.

The posts spread awareness about the menace of drugs, educate people on cyber frauds, emphasise road safety, and show the police acting against criminals.

While the headquarters team is managed by an MBA professional roped in by the state police, the district-level social media accounts are overseen by officials from within the district’s police force.

The teams, which include sub-inspectors, assistant sub-inspectors, head constables and constables, create content and upload it after getting it vetted and cleared by the police commissioner or senior superintendent of police.

“For intelligence assessment, it is a very important tool to gauge sentiments of the people over some situation or event,” says Prasad, pointing out that the police also use the medium to call out false narratives that have the potential to disturb communal harmony or cause fissures in society.

“We cater to around 30 million Punjabis and around 7 million Punjabi diaspora. While finalising the content for social media, we ensure that it is in tune with Punjabi culture and ethos,” says the MBA graduate overseeing the social media team at police headquarters in Chandigarh who does not want to be named. Eighty per cent of the traffic is from the official Instagram account, he says, as youngsters prefer this medium the most.