Off the cuff: Kerala Police find a sense of humour on their Facebook page

Kerala Police has won public affection and nearly a million 'likes' for its audacious and fun Facebook page

In mid May this year, the Kerala High Court had held that there were no provisions in the law to penalise the use of mobile phones while driving. The order was widely trolled. One of the posts was a two-picture troll. The first picture shows a person with the face of Malayalam actor Salim Kumar talking on the phone while riding a two-wheeler, justifying the act by saying that there was now “relaxation”. In the next scene, a beautifully dressed Yama, with the face of Innocent, another popular actor and Member of Parliament, calls him “Commondra (common buddy) Maheshe.”

Those who use social media checked where the post first appeared. Only to be surprised: on the official web page of Kerala Police. This event marked the beginning of Kerala Police’s experiment, of using the department’s Facebook page to communicate with the common man. 

“Is this really some troll agency or is it real Kerala Police? Government employees?” asked one Facebook user. The answer: “This is the Official FB page of Kerala Police. Thank you.”

Another post, which looked like a jewellery advertisement for a local daily read, “Mega offers for jewel thieves. Kerala police is giving out bangles as a gift to you. You guys picking....We are giving....” with a bejewelled handcuff in the picture. Suspicions slowly turned into friendship. One Facebook user said that initially he was afraid to post a comment, but now enjoys the conversation.

What makes the page different is the way moderators respond to the public comments. To one post, a user responded: “In our childhood, the elders use to intimidate us saying that if we don’t eat properly police will come. Looking back, it seems why we were afraid of gems like the policemen.” The reply came in the form of a meme in which a famous comedy star comments, “Is it so, my child?” The posts often invoke famous Malayalam films or popular Malayali culture, striking an easy chord with the Malayali public.

On Children’s Day this year, one Facebook user commented: “Happy Children’s Day for all the police uncles. A Cadbury Silks Dairy Milk wrapped with love only for the uncle who creates the trolls.” The quick-as-a-flash response: the complete lyrics of Cadbury Dairy Milk’s jingle “Kiss me, close your eyes...”

Posts like these have made the Kerala Police page a hit on Facebook. On October 23, its page posted a record 816,000 likes, overtaking the New York Police Department’s page, which had 783,000 likes. As of December 14, the “likes” had crossed 925,000.

The Facebook page for Kerala Police was started in 2011 and was handled by an external agency. Routine notices and other information were posted, but they did not attract many eyeballs. In March this year, the police department decided to take their social media presence seriously and run the accounts on their own. The initiative was taken by Director General of Police Loknath Behera and Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham. Abraham was also the nodal officer of the Kerala Police CyberDome, a technological research and development centre.

Some 60 officials were selected for a test. Five applicants were selected and given an office at the DGP’s control room in Thiruvananthapuram. The team was given the task of running the department’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram accounts — all with a lighter touch.

For the first month, the team — comprising senior civil police officers Kamal Nath and V S Bimal, civil police officers P S Santhosh, B T Arun and B S Biju — stuck to the serious. However, it elicited little response with only 3,50,000 followers and very few comments and likes per post. The team then started following Abraham’s idea, which was to use memes to communicate. One of the first posts was the “relaxed” two-wheeler rider.

Meanwhile, Kerala had to grapple with various crises. First came an outbreak of the Nipah virus. The Facebook page disseminated instructions and tips to the public, providing support and confidence. The disastrous floods that affected 12 out of Kerala’s 14 districts followed and the Kerala Police stood with the public and saved many lives. The public started offering their gratitude to the department through the official page. The moderators reciprocated. “We have become very close, to a level that somebody just posted asking whether we had our evening tea, with the affection of a close friend,” says one team member, “It is really enjoyable.”