The Delhi Police plans to hire a private agency to manage their social media platforms, said an officer on Friday.
“We have asked the five empanelled advertising agencies having expertise in social media publicity to give a detailed presentation about their proposals. After scrutinising them and their experience in the field, the report will be sent to senior police officers for final approval,” said a senior police officer.
Owing to work pressure and lack of experience with the social media, the police officers are not prompt in disseminating information on it, he added.
“We have been organising a number of preventive exercises for the public but never get much response. Social media has a huge influence on people, especially youth. It will prove to be a bridge between police and public where people can report their suggestion or grievances and will get a reply at the earliest,” the officer said.
The Delhi Police has 2.28 lakh followers on Twitter but is far behind the Mumbai Police, which has 46 lakh followers on the microblogging site. The Uttar Pradesh Police has 5.17 lakh followers.
“We want the social media accounts to be active so that we can interact with the citizens,” added the officer.
Before uploading any information on social media, the agency will assess, plan and coordinate with police officers.
It will also enhance the presence of Delhi Police on social media sites.
At present, all the district DCPs have their own official Twitter account but they are not active.
For tourists
“The Delhi Police needs a strong social media presence as it is the police of the Capital. It has to be suitably responsive to complaints and grievances raised on the platforms. The city attracts a lot of foreign tourists every year and we should provide them a platform where they can easily reach out to us,” added the officer.
