Jitendra Rana. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna police would use social networking sites to connect better with people.

The new Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP), Jitender Rana, who took charge on Tuesday, said on Wednesday that joining the social media would enable the police to expand their reach among the people. It would also help them address more problems than reported at police stations. Rana said DSPs in Patna as well as officers posted in different police stations need to pull up their socks and work for longer than regular duty hours, adding that the presence of officers in police stations was necessary all the time.

“The police would always need suggestions from the people to control crime and maintain law and order. And the social media is a wonderful way to reach out to people. The Patna police will soon make its presence felt on the social media for the same reason. By connecting to people via networking sites like Facebook or Twitter, we can get many suggestions, tip-offs and also post dos and don’ts regarding many things people should know. Nowadays, every second person has got an account on Facebook or Twitter,” the new SP said.

At the moment, the Patna Traffic police have an account on Facebook. Former traffic SP Rajeev Mishra had started the same earlier this year and it got a good response from residents.

“There are many things people need to know about the police. The police, too, have a lot of information and caution messages to share with the people. The social media is the best option. In Patna, the DSPs don’t have much work at hand apart from supervising some cases and handling police stations under their jurisdiction. They and officers posted in different police stations should work harder and take the initiative and responsibility. We’ll ensure the same happens,” Rana told The Telegraph.

The officer said in any kind of public gathering in future, proper steps would be taken to ensure there are no untoward incidents. “Rumour mongers are common at public gatherings. One needs to ensure there is proper lighting, barricading, watchtowers and an effective public address system at all public gatherings in future,” he said.