Den (över)sociala polisen: en rättssociologisk studie kring polisens närvaro i sociala medier

The presence of the police in social media may be considered going against the otherwise factual, professional and impartial authority which they are lawfully required to maintain. This, as a result of social media communication tending to be less formal than traditional methods of communication. The aim of this thesis is to examine the social media presence of the Swedish Police from several different perspectives. Firstly, a legal investigation of the Swedish laws and regulations applicable to the presence of the police in social media is presented in order to determine its legal obligations and rights. Thereafter, the police’s implementation of these laws is investigated. This is done with the help of relevant documents regarding decisions from the Parliamentary Ombudsmen (JO) that works to ensure that all Swedish public authorities comply with the law. Finally, through a web survey, the thesis examines whether there is a gap between public expectations of the role of the police compared to how the police expresses itself on social media. It is concluded that only a few complaints have been made and investigated by JO, which indicates that the police is implementing the laws as required. Furthermore, the survey shows that the public does not have a uniform expectation of the police. It is clear, however, that a majority of respondents were positive towards the police expressing itself more personally on social media