Reckless social media use unethical- police
Pini Bothoko | Monday August 11, 2025 11:12
Due to such use, the police say the behaviour reflects a disturbing erosion of empathy and respect for human life amongst the public.
Speaking to Mmegi, BPS spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Near Bagali said the sanctity of human life is being eroded as people rush to share graphic images and news about deaths online without any consideration for the emotional impact on the victims’ families and the public at large.
He revealed that there is a worrying rise in cases in which members of the public rush to post graphic images and videos of tragic scenes on social media, often before emergency services arrive or the victims' families are notified.
'People no longer respect crime scenes or the sanctity of human life. When a tragedy like an accident occurs, the first thing many people do is take out their phones to record and share the scene online. They don’t help the victims. They don’t call for emergency services. Instead, they focus on capturing the moment for likes and shares,” he said.
Bagali also said it seems like most people are more focused on being the first to break the news rather than considering the dignity of the deceased or the trauma such content may cause to grieving families. He stated that in many recent incidents, police arrive at crime or accident scenes only to find crowds already gathered, many of whom are not there to help but rather to take photos or videos for online circulation.
He emphasised that the trend not only hampers police investigations but also undermines the emotional well-being of those involved. He also expressed a worry that in many cases, photos and videos are posted with visible faces of victims, their cars, and even vehicle registration plates, with no attempt made to preserve their dignity or privacy.
Bagali stated that the behaviour is not only unethical but also deeply distressing to victims and their families, especially when they find out about the loss of their loved ones through social media.
'We used to be a nation known for compassion and respect, but now it seems that many people are more interested in being the first to break the news. Respect and empathy should not be lost in the digital age. We plead with the public to allow the police and medical personnel to do their work and to avoid publishing unverified or emotionally harmful content,” he said.
The police have since urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified and sensitive information on social media, especially regarding accidents, deaths, and crime scenes.
'As Batswana, we must go back to our values of empathy and respect. We plead with the public to allow the police to do their job and to give families the dignity of learning about the loss of their loved ones respectfully and privately. The public is also putting their lives at risk by crowding accidents or crime scenes because anything can happen at crime scenes, sometimes police would be chasing criminals where there are gunshot outs, and crowding such scenes, people would be putting their lives at risk,' Bagali said.
The police further reminded the public that interfering with crime scenes and sharing sensitive content without permission could lead to legal consequences. Concerned by the habit years ago, Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF) launched basic First Aid Awareness Social Media video clips to educate and demonstrate to the public how to assist road crash victims at the crash scene whilst awaiting emergency medical services assistance and without aggravating their injuries, but such efforts continue to fall on deaf ears.
Then, MVAF argued that members of the public are usually the first people to arrive at the accident scenes, hence vital to be equipped with first aid skills to save lives.
The video clips available across all social media platforms provide principles of first aid, sensetise the public on action in emergency, making the emergency, provide information on the privacy survey, basic life support, how to handle wounds, methods of stopping bleeding, how to handle fractures, provide first aid treatment and handling head and spinal injuries.