We haven't seen a government social-media account this fun since the TSA's Instagram (which, among other quirky wonders, features a ninja star collage).
The Mumbai Police joined Twitter in December under the handles @MumbaiPolice and @CPMumbaiPolice. And with help from digital agency Trivone—which is managing the account for three months before handing it over to fully trained police officers—they're addressing issues like cyberbullying, drugs and traffic safety.
That isn't unusual; it's even expected. But what makes the accounts so awesome is their use of emotive pop-culture references, smart wordplay and well-considered hashtags.
A number of the tweets have already gone viral, and the police force enjoys over 50,000 followers across both accounts. One typical example is the image above, which builds on the Be Like Bill meme currently taking over all your social networks.
This is heartening in a city like Mumbai, where the prevalence of organized crime makes offenses difficult to control, and people—particularly women—don't always feel comfortable approaching law enforcement. To demonstrate their goodwill, they've organized crowdsourced campaigns around cyber-safety, and earlier today held an open Twitter chat where users could ask questions about the law or local issues.
But a social-savvy (and hopefully more accessible and accountable) police department is just the most recent example in a constellation of Indian communications that highlight the country's social evolution. In January, an Indian retailer aired an ad with a more modern take on arranged marriage, and in June of last year, another retailer broadcast the country's first ad featuring a lesbian couple.
Check out few of our favorite Mumbai Police department tweets below, and you can find others here.
On being careful with your personal details:
We know you're lucky, but believing a million $ is just a click away, is pushing your luck too far #CyberSafetyWeekpic.twitter.com/pX2idLf3Zm
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 22, 2016
Why take selfies when you can be "safie"?
You can receive many likes for that picture, if you're there to upload it. #Safiepic.twitter.com/sN0IR8n329
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 18, 2016
All it takes is a smiley to soften a threat:
If you do good, good follows. If you do bad, we follow. :) #CyberSafetyWeek
— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) January 24, 2016
On not being a creeper:
Your creepy comments on her photo will get you a long date with us. #CyberSafetyWeek
— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) January 19, 2016
And the drug puns! Such delightful drug puns!
Don't let 'hash' give you a 'tag'. #HoshMeinAao
— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) January 28, 2016
Hi! Have you 'meth' us? #HoshMeinAao
— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) January 27, 2016
Humanizing the force:
She remembers each and every one of us by name. We love spending time with her . https://t.co/91KyxyZbgvpic.twitter.com/7n4zOH9kVh
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) January 9, 2016
And to sign off nicely, a reminder that we're all in this together:
We do our best to keep the city safe. Your support can better our best #AlertMumbaiSafeMumbai
— CP Mumbai Police (@CPMumbaiPolice) January 25, 2016
