No Photos, Reels In Uniform: Uttar Pradesh Police Issues Social Media Guidelines For Cops

The Uttar Pradesh Police has banned its personnel from using social media during duty hours, besides making or sharing clips of police officers dancing in uniform and sharing confidential information related to policing and the police force.

These are part of the social media policy 2023 of the Uttar Pradesh Police, which has been revised keeping in mind the massive use of social media platforms by police personnel.

AFP

Don't share photos or videos of rape victim, minors

The policy restricted any live telecast of the training process, any complainant or victim. The policy also suggested that police officers must not share photographs of victims of rape or any sex crime or of minors involved in crime.

The new policy also restrains police officers from making any social media post that hurts religious sentiments or is against any caste or community.

Don't pose with criminals

It restrains them from sharing their pictures on social media with anyone with a criminal background.

The police officers are directed to share pictures of criminals on social media after blurring them.

AFP

Relatives can't share photos in uniform

Relatives of police officers are also restrained from sharing pictures of police uniforms or firearms issued to officials and police officers are prohibited from sharing pictures of personal events.

Police officers are also restrained from displaying profile pictures on their social media accounts that support or oppose any political party or incident.

Don't login to official account from personal number

They are restrained from joining WhatsApp groups that propagate messages against the state government or police force.

The police personnel have also been prohibited from logging into government social media accounts from their personal mobile numbers. Only CUG numbers issued by the police department are to be used.

AFP

UP Police social media policy

The social media policy was first issued by Uttar Pradesh Police in 2017 and later revised in 2018, but the recently revised policy was published in a detailed manner after a gap of five years.

In-charge of UP Police Social Cell, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rahul Srivastava, said that the social media policy will apply to police personnel of all ranks. The instructions issued by the cadre control authority of the Union Home Ministry related to social media use for IPS officers would also be followed by the police personnel.

BCCL

He added that there were provisions for stern action against violators. He said there were as many as 26 points in the revised policy that mainly included a ban on social media posts that tarnished the image of the police force or defamed anybody.

Viral controversies

In 2019 two UP Police personnel faced a departmental probe after they had posted TikTok videos while on duty, wearing uniforms.

In 2021, a woman constable posted in the Agra had come under fire after she posted a video in uniform flaunting her service revolver.

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