Social Media Guidelines
Our social media accounts are NOT monitored 24/7.
Please do not use social media to report crime or incidents. If a crime is in progress or there is a threat to life always dial 999. For non-emergencies please report online or dial 101.
Alternatively, you can report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or online.
A list of our official social media accounts can be found here: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary official social media accounts | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
Social media rules and guidelines
One of the key purposes of our social media accounts is to have two-engagement with you, our followers and the various communities we endeavour to keep safe.
We have an obligation to keep our communities informed of policing activities, but equally everyone posting has a right to dignity. We also have an obligation to followers to ensure healthy environments for conversations and discussions to take place. Comments should add value to the discussions and be relevant to the topic/post, and should be in the spirit of engagement, allowing individuals the opportunity to provide constructive feedback and raise issues that are of concern them.
All users must comply with the various social media platforms’ Terms of Use and Community Guidelines as well as our own terms of use. Users are wholly responsible for any content they post including content they may choose to share.
To help this we have set out some guidelines to ensure that these conversations are appropriate and that people feel safe and comfortable to engage with us and other followers on our accounts.
We will NOT accept comments that are offensive or contain discriminatory language, or which may cause harassment, alarm or distress. This includes comments that are perceived as racist, misogynistic, sexist or homophobic. This further includes content that contravenes the various social media platforms’ Terms of Use and Community Guidelines, which amongst others includes ‘spam’ posting, posting content that threatens or harasses people, posting comments that are considered hateful or bullying, or comments that have the potential to intimidate, or exclude or silence others. Such comments will be removed and reported to the relevant social media platform as contravening their Community Guidelines.
The Community Guidelines and rules for the various social media platforms can be found here:
Managing comments on our social media channels
We want our social media channels to be informative, respectful and safe spaces for everyone to engage with us. To help achieve this, we sometimes need to take action to manage comments on individual posts.
How we may manage comments
Depending on the circumstances, we may:
- Hide comments that breach our social media guidelines, so they are no longer visible to the wider public.
- Remove comments where content is unlawful, abusive, discriminatory, misleading, or could cause harm, alarm or distress.
- Restrict who can comment on a post, for example where discussion is becoming disruptive or irrelevant to the purpose of the post.
- Turn comments off on specific posts.
These actions are taken to protect individuals, safeguard investigations, prevent the spread of harm or misinformation, and ensure our channels are a safe and appropriate place for everyone to engage on.
When comments may be restricted or turned off
Comments may be restricted or turned off on individual posts where, for example:
- the subject matter is sensitive or involves victims, families or vulnerable people
- there are legal or safeguarding considerations
- speculation or misinformation risks causing harm or confusion
- the tone or volume of comments means they cannot be safely or reasonably overseen at that time
Decisions are based on behaviour and risk, not on differing opinions. We welcome constructive challenge and feedback when it is expressed respectfully and in line with our guidelines.
Staying in contact with us
If comments are limited or turned off on a post, this does not prevent you contacting us. Information, concerns or reports should always be shared through our official contact routes, including 999 in an emergency, 101, our website, or Crimestoppers.
Banning individuals
We will also consider banning individuals from our accounts who persist in the following behaviour:
- Continually posting the same message. (e.g. spamming)
- Continually posting nonsensical/inappropriate/illegible messages (e.g. poor taste jokes, gibberish messages)
- Continually posting defamatory or libellous comments/false allegations about individuals inside or outside of the organisation after being advised of the correct mechanisms in which to complain.
- Continually posting advertising material/promotional posts to our social media channels.
- Continually posting messages which incite hatred, racism or criminal activity.
- Continually posting statements which are at risk of prejudicing a live case/being in contempt of court.
- Continually posting messages which could be considered to put themselves, others or their property in a vulnerable position. (e.g. giving out their address, or others details that may breach an individual’s right to privacy)
- Continually posting extremely offensive or abusive messages to any of our accounts or those of others engaging with our social media accounts.
- Continually going against our intended use for our Force social media accounts.
- Continually contravene the various Community Standards guidelines and rules of the various social media channels we make use.
In the rare instances that we feel it appropriate to ban individuals from our social media accounts, that does not remove the ability for those banned individuals to be able to contact us to report a crime, information or incident using the established formal contact methods: either online, via 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Those posting on our channels are reminded that malicious communications using social media channels may constitute a criminal offence and will be dealt with appropriately.
Certain issues which relate to ongoing prosecutions, or information which identifies personal details without that individual’s express consent, should not be posted and will be removed if sites are within the editorial control of Hampshire Constabulary.
Replies and comments
We shall attempt to respond to comments appropriately, but we are unable to monitor our social media accounts on a 24/7 basis. Priority will be given to responding to issues during duty hours, which are not necessarily core office hours. Occasionally during these times it may not be possible to enter into or continue a discussion due to operational matters.
We welcome feedback and ideas from all our followers. We will endeavour to ensure any emerging themes or helpful suggestions are passed to the relevant people and responded to where possible.
Availability
We will update and monitor our social media accounts as reasonably necessary and practicable. Our social media accounts may occasionally be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to their downtime.
Image use
Images and videos are subject to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary copyright, unless otherwise stated, and must not be used without prior permission. If in doubt, please contact us for more information.