The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) has urged members of the public to refrain from sharing photos of accident scenes on social media.

This follows the recent sharing of inappropriate and insensitive photos on social media of two people who died in an accident involving a government VIP Protection Directorate vehicle about 10 kilometres outside Tsumeb on 30 August 2023.

Speaking to Nampa on Monday, Head of the Community Policing Sub-Division, Warrant Officer Silas Shipandeni stressed that it is inappropriate for the public to share photos of accident scenes, especially where people have succumbed to injuries. He said in most cases the deceased’s next of kin have not been informed and get to learn of the passing of their loved ones on social media.

“We are cautioning whoever is going to find themselves in such a situation to desist from sharing accident pictures and unverified information. In most cases relatives are not informed and see inappropriate pictures of their family members in a very insensitive and shocking state,” he noted.

Shipandeni encouraged the public to rather report accidents to law enforcement agencies immediately for prompt response, without taking photos of gruesome accident scenes. He said such images can inflict long-term psychological trauma on the family members of the victims who are exposed to the photos of how their loved ones died.

He noted that currently, there is no law that punishes individuals for sharing such photos, however relatives of the deceased whose photos are shared can take legal action against members of the public responsible for sharing the pictures

Source: Namibia Press Agency