Fishing for likes: Cops told to spend more time on Facebook

IGP asks officers to use social media for increased community interaction

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police Inspector General Tariq Masood Yasin has directed all police stations to create own Facebook pages in order to enhance interaction between police and the community, and maybe earn a few likes.

The IGP chaired a meeting of all police officers from SHOs to DIGs to review the overall crime situation and police performance on Monday. He emphasised greater interaction with the public and swift registration of FIRs.

To increase interaction with the public, the IGP asked all SHOs, SDPOs, and zonal SPs to start using social media, particularly Facebook.

He directed them to create Facebook pages for all police stations and share information with the public by giving precise and clear details of contact numbers and photos of SHOs and police officers posted there, besides other information and public awareness messages.

Yasin, a grade-21 officer in the Police Service of Pakistan, is an active social media user. He has been sharing his initiatives for police reforms, community policing, and various other Islamabad Police updates with the public through his personal as well as official social media platforms.

Some officials have dubbed him the “Whatsapp IG” for his emphasis on the use of social media and technology.

“The IGP was also briefed by operations SSP and zonal SPs about the number of cases registered during 2016 and their investigation. The figures show that the crime rate fell 25 per cent when compared with 2015,” a police spokesperson said. He said campaigns against narcotics and illicit weapons witnessed significant successes this year.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2016.