The unit heads have been asked by the DGP to ensure that the instructions regarding cellphones are communicated through a circular, put on the notice board of each police station and read out during daily roll call.

The directive comes after it emerged that personnel deployed on important bandobust duties frequently use cellphones for logging onto social media apps, potentially distracting them from discharging their official duties, particularly during critical times. “When police personnel are on duty, cellphones can be used only for official purposes. Hence, cellphones should not be used by other ranks during important duties such as law and order, VVIP bandobust, temple and festival bandobusts,” the circular said.

The police headquarters has asked the unit heads to decide on the time and places where the use of cellphones would be curbed, according to the situation and incorporate it in the bandobust scheme, added the circular.

While a good number of constables, who constitute more than 75 per cent of the strength of the police force, feel that the top brass has taken the decision because the constabulary had been using their phones to record certain events which were then leaked to the media, senior officers defended their decision claiming that several personnel are found engrossed in their mobile phones when they were supposed to stay vigilant.