The Facebook profile page of city superintendent of police Kim

Patna, Feb. 9: If you can’t get them, Facebook ‘em!

You may find it difficult to get an appointment with senior police officers of the state but finding them online on social networking sites is easy. Some of them use the cyber space to be free of their official avatar and pursue hobbies and socialise with friends. Others utilise the Internet to discourse on the work they do.

In any case, they attract a lot of attention. Those on their friends’ list ignore nothing the men and women in uniform say or do on the public forum.

For instance, Phulwari deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rakesh Dubey has a rather active cyber life and keeps putting up pictures and comments on his Facebook profile. You could call him the unofficial “Facebook Man” of Patna police. This morning, he put up pictures of an event organised by the police yesterday in the Phulwari area where senior officers distributed books among slum-dwelling children and requested their parents to send them to school. Senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar and city superintendent of police Kim also feature in the picture. As testimony to Dubey’s popularity, 14 people liked the pictures as soon as they were put up. Some even commented and praised the efforts of the cops.

Dubey also has pictures and videos in his profile where he poses with Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar. The Bollywood team had come to Patna in December last year to promote their film Don 2. The DSP also brushed shoulders with the Big B, when Amitabh Bachchan came to the city in August to promote Aarakshan.

Not all police officers find Facebook to be a convenient medium for socialising. Senior superintendent of police Alok Kumar does not have a Facebook account. Asked the reason for it, Kumar told The Telegraph: “I had a profile earlier but I deactivated it. In this profession, there is hardly anytime to socialise.”

Bihar police chief Abhayanand is not on Facebook either. Neither is Araria superintendent of police Shivdeep Lande, who had become very popular during his stint as Patna city superintendent of police. You would find them on the social networking sites only on dedicated pages created by their admirers.

Other senior officers like city superintendent of police Kim guard their privacy. You cannot easily find her account. Even if you do, her private information is well guarded. However, you cannot help being impressed when you check out her information page. The senior officer is an alumnus of the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College and Hindu College in Delhi.

Some of her colleagues, however, are not inhibited online and find time to interact with friends, acquaintances and colleagues despite a tight work schedule. DSP (law and order) Lalit Sharma told The Telegraph: “Yes, I am into Facebook and access it whenever I get time. But it is not very regular as policing is a very busy job. I go online on a lean day or maybe after work at home. Facebook is a welcome distraction.”