Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police are extending a hand of friendship towards youngsters. In a bid to drive home their message against over speeding and following the traffic rules among youngsters, the police have started using the power of the social media, said DGP Odisha, R P Sharma in an exclusive chat with Odisha Bytes.
The idea is to instill a sense of responsibility in them without being preachy or intimidating and conveying it in the lingo that appeals to them.
In a tweet on July 7, they have popular actress Daisy Shah mouthing the dialogue “Our business is our business, none of your business” from Salman Khan-starrer, Race 3.
With interceptors deployed in the streets, and highways, we ensure a thorough check on over speedingand enforcement of traffic rules. If you don’t want us to #MindYourBusiness, drive safe, and abide by the road safety rules. #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/S9uWq83t86
— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) July 7, 2018
R P Sharma said they thought of utilizing the power of social media for a greater cause. “There is a better outreach as we have a lot of followers. We can connect with the people, have a dialogue with them and reach directly to the common man residing in the city. Using humor to create such awareness also spreads positivity and the police also become people friendly that way,” he added.
He further said that the Odisha Police handle will come up with such posts every one or two days. “We aim at developing confidence among the people about Odisha Police. They should know we are here to keep them safe. However, they too have a responsibility in keeping themselves safe on the road,” he said.
He said they are open to all sorts of advice and suggestions and wish to encourage people. Their aim, he added, is not only to enforce but to educate too.
Bhubaneswar DCP, Anup Sahu said there have been numerous deaths due to road accidents and violation of traffic rules has only gone up. “There have been a total 600 cases of motor-vehicle accidents in Bhubaneswar in 2017. Of these, around 185 have been fatal and 523 people received grievious to simple injury. This is alarming because most of those who lost their life were youngsters,” he added.
Apart from this, around 58,492 people were caught without a helmet, 4791 without a seatbelt, 1888 for drunk driving, 2170 for over speeding 20,781 for driving on the wrong side and 7655 for not having documents. “There are various other traffic rules violations where thousands of people were fined last year,” he further said.
Various rallies and programmes are being carried out frequently to inculcate the habit of following traffic rules among people.
The Odisha Police have been tweeting about other issues too.
Here’s one on women empowerment.
Women of modern era are equally efficient to serve the society & country. Reflecting our genuine belief in this ideology, Odisha Police appoints one-third women in all its directly recruited posts. We support #WomenPower and will keep encouraging them to achieve greater heights. pic.twitter.com/wJp9mF9Fgq
— DGP, Odisha (@DGPOdisha) July 3, 2018
Here is one on fraud schemes.
Your money can be multiplied only by your hard work and skills; and nothing else! Don’t let the greed take over your common sense. #ActSmart pic.twitter.com/6Q0jwN9zEh
— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) July 5, 2018
We also loved their tweet on #WillToServe
Rigorous training and motivated minds, keep us ready for challenges, forever and always! Ready to serve and protect 24×7 #WillToServe pic.twitter.com/6n62hpWmpu
— Odisha Police (@odisha_police) July 5, 2018