force policy - force web and social media sites...social media site account holders, senior...

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Force web and social media sites of 20

Force web and social media sites

Contents

Policy Statement ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Definitions ............................................................................................................................................... 2

Breaches .................................................................................................................................................. 4

West Yorkshire Police Website ............................................................................................................... 4

Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) .................................................................................................... 5

Website Pages .................................................................................................................... 5

Website Authors ................................................................................................................. 5

Social Media and Video Sharing Sites ................................................................................. 6

Access to Social Media Sites ................................................................................................................... 6

Legislation and College of Policing Guidance ......................................................................................... 7

Contempt of Court Act 1981 ............................................................................................... 7

Website Author/Social Media Account Guidance .................................................................................. 9

Security ............................................................................................................................... 9

Contents ........................................................................................................................... 10

Images and Video ............................................................................................................. 12

Links Back to West Yorkshire Police Website ................................................................... 12

Appeals for Information ................................................................................................... 12

Monitoring of Content ...................................................................................................... 13

Considering a New Social Media Account ............................................................................................ 14

Applying for a Social Media Account/Web Author Account ............................................. 15

Maintaining Web and Social Media Sites ......................................................................... 16

Training ................................................................................................................................................. 16

Evaluation and Feedback ...................................................................................................................... 17

Monitoring Content and Compliance ................................................................................................... 17

Low Risk ............................................................................................................................ 17

High Risk ........................................................................................................................... 17

Additional Information.......................................................................................................................... 19

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Policy Statement

Summary West Yorkshire Police complies with Authorised Professional Practice (APP) on Engagement and Communication, which contains information to assist policing, and has established local policy to provide clear standards and guidelines.

The Force is committed to building public confidence by communicating effectively with all its communities across the county; and recognises that the internet, particularly social networking and video/photo sharing websites, is increasingly used by groups who are hard to reach by more conventional media. Using digital methods of communication helps the Force to reach its target audiences.

This policy aims to explain legislation, responsibilities of website authors and social media site account holders, senior leadership team (SLT) considerations and responsibilities, what teams must consider before creation of a new social media account, how to apply for a social media account and how sites will be monitored and evaluated.

Scope This policy applies to all police officers, police staff, police community support officers, special constables and volunteers who update the Force’s website and/or social networking and video/photo sharing sites on behalf of the Force.

This policy does not apply to employees using social media sites off duty. Those who do must read and comply with the Using the Internet and Social Media policy.

Definitions

Website • The term ‘website’ as used in this policy refers to the official Force website– www.westyorkshire.police.uk.

• The Force website has a strong, corporate brand which clearly identifies each page and section as being part of the Force’s website.

• The Force website is designed to recognised accessibility guidelines.• The term ‘website author’ means an individual who updates the Force

website as part of their role, and on behalf of the Force, to help improve public contact and engagement.

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• Some website authors are also authors of the Force’s social media sites.• As a website author, particularly NPT author, the individual must comply

with:o The website author’s/social media account holder’s instructions; ando The traffic light guide.

Social media • The term ‘social media sites’ as used in this policy refers to social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and video sharing sites such as YouTube.

• The term ‘social media author’ refers to an individual who updates the Force’s social media sites as part of their role, on behalf of the Force to help improve public contact and engagement.

• Some social media authors are also web authors, helping to update the Force website.

• As a social media author, the individual must:o Complete the associated iLearn package and subsequent knowledge

check;o Comply with web author/account holder’s instructions; ando Read and abide by the traffic light guide.

Digital Development Team/Digital Engagement Officer

• The Digital Development Team/Digital Engagement Officer is based inCorporate Communications within the Corporate Services department.

• To ensure the standards of corporacy and content are maintained:o The Digital Development Team/Digital Engagement Officer will support

the management and maintaining of individual author updates on allthe Force’s online platforms; and

o No other West Yorkshire Police websites or micro-sites will be allowed,unless special permission is obtained from the Digital DevelopmentTeam.

Communications Officers (Press Office)

West Yorkshire Police Communications Officers are part of the Corporate Communications section of Corporate Services Department.

Communications Officers must: • Comply with the:o Website author’s/social media account holder’s instructions; and o Traffic light guide;

• Ensure the items they put on the West Yorkshire Police website areaccurate, up to date and support Force priorities and policy procedures;

•Update press releases and the West Yorkshire Police websites, along with aVirtual Press Office which allows journalists to log-in and obtainbackground information to accompany public news releases; and

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•Upload photographs, video clips and other attachments to provideadditional information.

Breaches

General • Corporate Communications will notify Professional Standards Directorateof any apparent breaches of trust or confidence, or any inappropriatebehaviour by employees, which resulted in information being leaked orpassed to the media/ into the public domain.

•Guidance will be provided to authors who are incorrectly using their socialmedia/web pages or posting inappropriate or irrelevant content.

• In exceptional cases, Corporate Communications will:o Suspend authors from updating their web pages and social media

accounts; ando Report the author to their SLT and/or Professional Standards.

West Yorkshire Police Website

General

Purpose

• The West Yorkshire Police website has a strong, corporate brand which clearly identifies each page and section as being part of the organisation’s website and it is designed to recognised accessibility guidelines.

• The West Yorkshire Police website has distinct sections:o General content pages which inform, educate and assist the public,

e.g. news (press releases), which often include video clips, and information about recruitment and staff vacancies.

o Interactive and transactional sections where the public can complete online solutions and save themselves time, e.g. crime reporting, satisfaction, dissatisfaction etc.

o Neighbourhood policing team section with its local community pages.o Photo Alerts sections where the public can provide information, i.e.: Caught on camera which features images of potential suspects from

CCTV systems, other recording devices and e-fits; and Wanted on warrant which has images of suspects who failed to

appear at court. Note – Wanted on warrant is covered by separate Force policy

procedures which can be accessed.

Contribution of • West Yorkshire Police may contribute content to other websites, i.e.

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content to other sites

partnerships or multi-agency projects, but these must not give the impression they are part of the West Yorkshire Police website or run as part of, or by, West Yorkshire Police.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) Website Pages

Purpose These pages can be used to: • Identify NPTs, where they work, how they can be contacted and link to

pages for individual teams;•Help identify local priorities, how they can be influenced and what action is

being taken to address them;• Seek views from community members on issues affecting them;• Provide messages about crime prevention;• Include crime prevention material for public use and download;• Create links to relevant sites including the crime mapping website and

other local service providers;• Publicise news stories and support appeals;• Share images of wanted people; and• Direct viewers to police videos.

Responsibilities • NPTs must: o Appoint officers and staff who will be responsible for regularly

updating the content of their NPT website – PCs, PCSOs andNeighbourhood Support Officers; and

o Always give priority to updating their web pages, at least once a week,as these reach a wide and general public audience and not justFacebook/Twitter sites (which can have limited users). Note – to helpsave the author time, local web pages can be automatically enabled toupdate their NPT’s social media sites.

Marketing • Research indicates that local promotion and awareness of web pages canbe very successful and NPTs must take every opportunity to promote theirpages locally and within their community, to increase confidence.

Website Authors

Responsibilities • NPT website authors are responsible for ensuring that their external web

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page contents: o Are regularly updated and are as concise as possible;o Contain appropriate local content, address local priorities and update

on how teams are progressing with their local priorities;o Follow corporate publishing guidelines; ando Adhere to Force policy, NPT good practice guidelines, Force priorities,

i.e. promote public confidence and satisfaction.

Social Media and Video Sharing Sites

Purpose • Social media accounts can be used to:o Enhance the reputation and accessibility of police to their

communities;o Enhance and improve public confidence in policing;o Enable officers (particularly NPTs) to communicate with the

communities they serve and provide opportunities for increased public engagement;

o Provide messages about local policing;o Publicise justice updates – court results, etc.;o Post videos about neighbourhood and departmental policing;o Gauge impact of police and partnership activity in tackling issues

affecting the community;o Seek views from community members on issues affecting them and

help to establish local priorities; ando Support and amplify corporate/organisational messages (supporting

messages issued in the Social Media Summary).

Principles • The Digital Development Team/Digital Engagement Officer will support thesetup of all web, social networking, and web chats to ensure a commonand corporate style, with corporate background, headers and othergraphics.

•However, the employees on that NPT are responsible for:o Managing the content of those sites; ando Adhering to Force policy procedures.

Access to Social Media Sites

Principles The Digital Engagement Officer will only approve social media accounts and give author access for the following purposes to, and in adherence with the social media iLearn package:

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•Help improve public confidence;• Increase community engagement by:

o Providing good news and information relating to the specific NPT and other West Yorkshire Police departments; and

o Receiving feedback/interaction from the public;• Allow the public to get involved in priority setting for their local

neighbourhood and to receive feedback and discuss ways of solving issues, particularly at a local level; and

• Communicate with the public during the planning and policing of major public order events in accordance with the traffic light guide.

Individual authors and NPT teams are responsible for the content of their own social media sites.

To get access to social media, individuals must email the Digital Engagement mailbox in the first instance, stating which pages they require access to and why.

Legislation and College of Policing Guidance

Principles • There are several pieces of legislation governing the release of police held information to the public, and if individuals are posting information on web or social media sites they must be aware of what must and must not be said.

• Individuals must familiarise themselves with the:o Contempt of Court Act;o Copyright, Designs and Patents Act;o Children and Young Persons Act;o Sexual Offences Act;o Equality Act; ando Any other relevant law.

• Individuals must read the APP Engagement and Communications.

Contempt of Court Act 1981

General •What is said about an individual pre-conviction can have seriousimplications for future court proceedings.

•While it is important that the public are informed about arrests, chargesand convictions, care must be taken at all times to ensure that nothing ispublished that could prejudice a court case.

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Active case • The Contempt of Court Act 1981 was devised to protect judicial processesfrom outside influences when cases are ‘active’. In most criminal cases, theactive period starts with the:o Granting of an arrest warrant;o Arrest of a suspect; oro Issue of a summons.

• Once a case is active, anything which creates a substantial risk that thecourse of justice will be seriously prejudiced or impeded is contempt ofcourt. This is the case regardless of intent.

• A serious prejudice might include the publication of previous convictionsbefore a trial, or implying that someone charged with an offence is guilty.

Principles • To protect the judicial process, different levels of information can be released at different stages of active cases. However, to keep things as simple as possible, there are rules about what must and must not be released about arrests, charges and convictions.

• Once a person is arrested/charged/convicted, individuals can release:o Sex;o Age;o Town or area person is from but not address, postcode or anything

which could identify them;o What they have been arrested on suspicion of/charged with/

convicted of;o Date and location of any court appearance; ando Sentence in full, where applicable (ensure that any conditions which

relate to named individuals or specific addresses are not included).• Individuals must always link back to the West Yorkshire Police website if a

press release has been issued, as this will give more information to the public which has already been carefully vetted to ensure no court proceedings can be jeopardised.

• Individuals must never:o Imply that a person arrested or charged is guilty;o Give details of the investigation or operational policing tactics;o Mention previous convictions;o Anticipate that charges will follow an arrest;o Include personal details of victims or witnesses, or include details

which could inadvertently identify them;o Publish images of individuals involved in court cases;o Publish protectively marked or otherwise sensitive information; oro Publish information if they are in any way unsure.

• If individuals believe more information can or must be included, or if they are unsure in any way, they must contact Corporate Communications via email before publishing anything.

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Website Author/Social Media Account Guidance

Principles • Before posting, all authors must complete the iLearn package and subsequent knowledge check.

• Individuals must read the Facebook and Twitter traffic light guide (see supporting information).

• Individuals must regularly check the Social Media Summary, which is issued weekly, for important updates. The latest version of the Social Media Summary email can be accessed on the intranet. If individuals wish to receive this email directly, they must email the Digital Engagement mailbox and ask to be added to the circulation list.

• Individuals must publicise and promote their sites at every opportunity, both internally and externally. Individuals must ensure that their colleagues and staff are aware of their postings, and are able to promote their site in the community.

•NPTs must remember that their web pages and social media accounts are viewable and accessible by all public users. NPTs must also remember that journalists often follow West Yorkshire Police accounts, and their tweets can become/influence news stories.

• If individuals are on sick leave or away from work for any reason, there is no expectation that their West Yorkshire Police account should be used/updated, but likewise it will not be deactivated.

• The account holder may use their account in a professional way, in line with the usual policy of use and Code of Ethics, but if that is abused it will be deactivated.

• For suspended officers and staff, any West Yorkshire Police social media accounts and website author access must not be used.

Security

Passwords • The Digital Engagement Officer will keep a record of all passwords.• Individuals must keep their password secure, and update the Digital

Engagement Officer if they change it. Failure to do so could cause issuesdown the line if something needs deleting from their account that couldharm the organisation’s reputation.

• Individuals must email the Digital Engagement mailbox to update theirpassword.

Two Factor • Two Factor Authentication on Twitter accounts is an extra layer of security

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Authentication that protects individuals’ accounts, and asks to confirm a code via a phone number if somebody is trying to gain access to their account.

Account Compromised

• If an individual thinks someone has gained unauthorised access to theiraccount, they must alert Corporate Communications in the first instance sothey can take appropriate action.

Email Addresses • Individuals must not use their private/personal email address for West Yorkshire Police business. This includes social media accounts.

•However, due to Facebook’s terms and conditions, it may be required that personal accounts are utilised to edit and author West Yorkshire Police pages. Individuals must consult the Digital Engagement Officer to discuss options.

• Personal devices must also not be used to publish updates on social media accounts.

• If individuals have a Facebook account, they they must log in via their own West Yorkshire Police email address, where possible.

• If individuals have a Twitter account, then they must use the NPT mailbox address when accessing already established local NPT Twitter accounts, or use their own West Yorkshire Police email address if creating a new Twitter account.

Contents

Accounts • Anyone can have a Twitter account, but it is in nobody’s role requirementto own a Twitter account.

• Individuals must carefully consider what their Twitter account would bringto the organisation as a whole, and how often it would be updated. If theyneed to discuss this with somebody prior to setting up the account, theymust contact a Digital Engagement Officer or Corporate Communications.

Personal Comments

• Any views expressed on an individual’s site must be in line with those ofWest Yorkshire Police.

• Individuals must never express a personal opinion.• Officers must not update their work Twitter account when on rest days/

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annual leave, unless it is crucial for a policing purpose.

Respect for Diversity

• Individuals must remember that the tone of their message is important,and must be respectful of the diversity of the communities they serve.

Accurate, Appropriate and Consistent

•While regular dip sampling of posts will be undertaken by West YorkshirePolice, it is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that theinformation they are posting is relevant, accurate, appropriate andconsistent.

• If they spot anything that they think must not be on social media, or is inviolation of the social media policy, they must flag it with the accountholder immediately. If this isn’t possible, they must flag the post to theDigital Engagement Officers or Corporate Communications for removal.

•Under no circumstances must individuals delete other users’ posts onsocial media, unless they think that it has potential to harm theorganisation’s reputation. If this is the case, the post must bescreenshotted before deletion and emailed to the Digital Engagementmailbox with a clear rationale as to why the post in question was deleted.

• Individuals must only publish information that they have specificknowledge and understanding of, e.g. a NPT officer wouldn’t be expectedto comment on Force policy, but a chief officer discussing it would beappropriate.

• Individuals must not add content or post online information that:o Is libellous;o Breaches copyright;o Is protectively marked or otherwise sensitive;o Discloses unauthorised personal information;o Brings West Yorskhire Police into disrepute or damages its reputation;o Compromises or undermines an operation; oro Jeopardises a court case.

• Individuals must not post any information or messages on the internet/social media that they would not be willing to release to the press or say ata public meeting.

Freedom of Information Act

• Anything posted publicly on social media sites is visible to anyone.• Anything posted in private, i.e. direct messages, Facebook email etc., can

be requested under the Freedom of Information Act.• If an individual identifies a Freedom of Information request on social media

accounts, they must refer it to the FOI Unit to progress.• Social media authors are also reminded that even if a post has been

deleted, it could have been screenshotted by a member of the public. Ifthey do have to delete a post due to a mistake or it has something that

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could harm West Yorkshire Police reputation, they must flag it up to Corporate Communications in the first instance.

Crime Reports or Intelligence

• Individuals must clearly state that crime reporting, evidence/intelligence must not be posted on the site and give alternative contacts for members of the public to use, e.g. www.westyorkshire.police.uk/101livechat

Images and Video

Principles • Individuals are responsible for ensuring the images or video on their sitecomply with legal or data protection requirements, comply with WestYorkshire Police targets and policy procedures, and that they havepermission to use them.

• Individuals must ensure they evidence permission to use any images orvideo on their site. Most images found on the web are protected bycopyright and using them could result in complaints and a large fine, e.g.photographs taken from Google Images.

• Any video footage posted must serve a policing purpose.

Links Back to West Yorkshire Police Website

Principles •Where possible, all social media sites must link back to the West Yorkshire Police website (www.westyorkshire.police.uk) to help provide context and background as well as to help drive traffic onto the main site.

• For example, a Twitter update about a crime appeal could link back to the main story on the police website.

Appeals for Information

Low Level • Individuals can post low level appeals for information on their site, but they must think about the impact the message could have on the community or on the organisation. Anything that could scale up or be taken further in the media must be notified to Corporate Communications.

• Individuals must ensure that they comply with Force policy, and check the traffic light guide before posting their appeal.

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High Level • Individuals must refer high level appeals for wanted or missing people, or appeals linked to a major incident, to Corporate Communications in the first instance who will liaise with the investigating officers about publicity.

• If publicity is agreed, Corporate Communications will publish any appeals on the main West Yorkshire Police website (www.westyorkshire.police.uk) which individuals can share on social media.

Monitoring of Content

General • Individuals must post regularly to maintain relationships with the audienceand develop a successful two-way engagement with their communities.

Frequency and Timescales

• Individuals must check their social media accounts for public commentsand interaction regularly, but within reason to ensure they have enoughtime to respond to messages.

•Out of date content must be removed in a timely fashion, e.g. wantedpersons may need to be removed for legal reasons.

• Social media authors must refrain from issuing their own ‘missing person’appeals when posts already exist on the main West Yorkshire Policechannels. Individuals must just share or retweet the main accounts. Thatway, once these have been deleted they will delete from all accounts thathave shared/retweeted.

Inappropriate Posts

• If someone posts something inappropriate/malicious, individuals must:o Remove it as soon as they see it and consider “banning” the user from

publishing further messages (NB Facebook only; Tweets by otherscannot be deleted);

o Keep a record of what was said, by whom and when; ando Take screen grabs if necessary.

• A substantial profanity filter is in place on Facebook to reduce the numberof negative comments.

• Twitter has no such profanity filter, so authors must consider ignoringcomments on Twitter or muting/blocking if the problem continues. Emailthe Digital Engagement Officer for more advice on this matter.

Hoax or Malicious Sites

• If an individual comes across or receives a report of a hoax or malicioussocial media site purporting to be set up by West Yorkshire Police etc., theymust immediately report it to Corporate Communications who will take thenecessary action with Facebook or Twitter to have it removed.

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Posts Regarding Officers Taking their own Life or Recently Deceased

•Whilst it is understood that social media can be an outlet for those whowant to remember those who have either been killed on duty/taken theirown life/recently deceased, certain considerations must be taken intoaccount.

• Individuals must consider the sensitivity of the information they share andconsider the thoughts and feelings of others, including family memberswho might not have been made aware of such a tragic incident.

• Individuals must refrain from posting about such incidents until done so bythe West Yorkshire Police main account.

Responding to Messages

• Individuals must endeavour to respond to comments where possible. A simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way to members of the public.

• Individuals can:o Respond to general crime prevention queries;o Acknowledge complaints publicly (not by private message) and direct

the individual to make a report on the website;o Reply to any requests from the media publicly and tell them to contact

the Press Office;o Respond to any questions relating to information in the public domain,

e.g. dates of beat meetings, good news stories;o Direct all Freedom of Information Act requests to the West Yorkshire

Police website (www.westyorkshire.police.uk/foi). Individuals must not try to answer these themselves; and

o Respond to any reports of crime by asking the user to telephone the police on 101 or 999 or report online.

Leaving the Organisation

• If an individual is planning to leave West Yorkshire Police, they must let theDigital Engagement Officer and Digital Development Team know.

• It is the responsibility of the individual to ensure that their password is upto date before they leave the organisation, and that they deactivate theiraccount before they leave.

• The Digital Engagement Officer reserves the right to delete the accounts ofthose who have left the organisation.

Considering a New Social Media Account

General • For approval to be given for a new social media site, individuals must:o Provide specific objectives and a clear explanation of how a web or

social media account forms part of the overall communicationsstrategy for their area, district or department; and

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o Consider the impact that creating, moderating, maintaining andupdating the site will have on their resources, and who will administerthe account when people are on leave etc.

Considerations • Individuals must consider the risks associated with a social media account. • Corporate Communications have identified the following as top risks:

o Damage to West Yorkshire Police’s reputation and brand identitythrough poor quality or excessive proliferation of information;

o Employees publishing inappropriate or conflicting information in thepublic domain;

o Failure to meet the expectations of the public;o Hacking or cloning of an account, or creating of a malicious site, which

could be used to impersonate West Yorkshire Police;o Use of social media in ways that could jeopardise information security;

ando Employees or members of the public publishing information which

could damage operational effectiveness; or put the public at risk fromcriminality.

Applying for a Social Media Account/Web Author Account

General • If an individual wants to create a social media account, they must email theDigital Engagement mailbox with their request, or refer to this policy.

• Individuals must not make requests directly to IT.

Student Officers • Please note that Student Officers must not have a Twitter account until they have been assigned a district.

• If a Student Officer had a Twitter account in a previous role, they mustmake their trainer aware in the first instance and they will best advise.

Instagram, TikTok and Other Social Media Accounts

• Please note, Corporate Communications does not permit the creation ofindividual Instagram accounts.

• There are currently six Instagram accounts, comprising of one main WestYorkshire Police account and five district accounts, with no plans to createany more.

• Anyone who wants to publish content on one of these accounts is advisedto email the Digital Engagement mailbox for advice.

• Similarly, the creation of Facebook pages, TikTok accounts, or any othersocial media platform (other than Twitter) is not permitted unless anindividual has had confirmation from the Digital Engagement Officer. Any

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accounts found to have been set up will be asked to be taken down immediately.

Application • Applicants must:o Complete the iLearn package for representing West Yorkshire Police on

social media; ando Read the traffic light guide.

• If individuals require access to update the West Yorkshire Police website as a NPT author, or other pages/section author, in the first instance they must email the Webmaster mailbox.

Maintaining Web and Social Media Sites

Responsibilities • Individuals are responsible for: o Managing their own web authors/social media account holders to

update their sections of the West Yorkshire Police website and socialmedia sites;

o Ensuring their sites are corporate, regularly updated, accurate,appropriate, and support West Yorkshire Police’s objectives andreputation;

o Ensuring they use web and social media sites in a lawful andappropriate manner;

o Allowing and supporting those using web and social media sites onbehalf of the organisation to work freely within the values of theorganisation;

o Accepting that to be successful at using web and social media sitesofficers and staff must use their usual interpersonal skills as theywould during face to face communication; and

o Enforcing Force policy around use and misuse of web and social mediasites.

Training

Principles • If the Digital Engagement Officer deems an individual has passed the iLearn knowledge check, they are free to setup the social media account that they have requested.

•Once they have completed the iLearn package, the Digital Engagement Team will assume the individual is competent and they will set up their account and provide the team with their login details.

• Individuals must regularly check the weekly Social Media Summary email

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for important updates. • Depending on requirements, one to one Skype website training is provided

by the Digital Development Team. Please email the Webmaster mailbox inthe first instance.

Evaluation and Feedback

General • Performance data is collated to measure hits on web platforms as well assubscriber numbers and other users, taking note of trends and most visitedpages.

Monitoring Content and Compliance

Principles • Corporate Communications and NPT supervisors are responsible formonitoring compliance with this policy.

• They will monitor all:o Known corporate and neighbourhood social networking sites; ando Corporate video/photo sharing sites.

• The Digital Development Team has access to all sites and is able to removeinappropriate material.

Low Risk

Review, Archive or Remove

•Material with a long shelf life, i.e. unlikely to date, will be subject to thefollowing conditions:o Press releases will be removed after twelve months.o Reports will be archived for five years.o Other general content, contact pages, fact files, crime prevention files,

neighbourhood watch information etc. will be reviewed every twelvemonths.

• Corporate Communications will send out annual reminders to contentowners or agree a review cycle.

High Risk

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Summary •Material which is sensitive for copyright and legal reasons, e.g. suspectimage appeals, suspect arrests, suspects charged, murder appeals etc., willbe monitored and may require updating or removing by local authors orCorporate Communications at short notice because proceedings are nowconsidered ‘active’ under the Contempt of Court Act.

• For example, content relating to a high profile crime appeal will beimmediately updated with details of any arrests and subsequent chargesand court notes. When suspects are charged, all background contentrelating to the incident will be removed immediately.

• Local authors and Corporate Communications will keep copied of deleted/removed pages for legal and copyright reasons.

Wanted Suspects

• It is unusual to issue appeals naming or publishing images of ‘wanted’ suspects. However, where permission has been granted, e.g. by the Head of Protective Services Crime or a member of the Chief Officer Team, then Corporate Communications will publish details on the website.

• These will be immediately updated or removed if there is an arrest or other result.

• There are some pages listed on the West Yorkshire Police website which feature images of wanted persons or people “caught on camera”, and these have their own guidelines. Refer to above.

• Longer term suspect image appeals will be published on the website with a deadline agreed between Corporate Communications and the senior investigating officer or crime manager, subject to standard copyright rules etc.

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Additional Information

Compliance This policy complies with the following legislation, policy and guidance:

APP Engagement and Communications Equality Act 2010 Sexual Offences Act 2003 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 Contempt of Court Act 1981 Children and Young Persons Act 1933

Further Information

Further guidance in relation to this policy can be sought from:

West Yorkshire Police website – full and regularly updated list of all the Force’s social media sites Corporate Communications intranet page Mobile Data Devices Using the Internet and Social Media Processing of Warrants Principal Corporate Information OfficerDigital Development Team

A full list of Facebook pages representing West Yorkshire Police can be found on the social media sites section of the website.

A comprehensive list of all accounts representing West Yorkshire Police on Twitter is available.

Additionally, there are special help pages for social media authors on the Force intranet social media accounts help page.

A quick local comms guide that can be circulated in district is available.

For further advice on this policy, contact: • For website issues, the Digital Development Team via telephone or at the

Webmaster mailbox.• For social media issues, the Digital Engagement Officer via telephone or

at the Digital Engagement mailbox.

Supporting The supporting information for this policy can be accessed.

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