It has been a commonly held view that as long as civilians are prosecuted for violating traffic norms, men in khaki can get away without following the rules themselves.





However, for the first time even policemen in the national capital are finding themselves on the receiving end — courtesy social networking site Facebook.



A total of 725 policemen, including those from the traffic police department, have been booked over the last two years for violating traffic rules after their pictures were taken by citizens and uploaded on the Facebook page of Delhi Traffic Police.



“Since the pictures and videos depicting their violation are uploaded, there is no room to escape punishment. While challans were issued through post against all those caught red-handed, traffic cops who were booked for violation have also been transferred from the department,” said Satyendra Garg, joint CP (traffic).



According to traffic police officials 25 traffic policemen were transfered.



The maximum numbers of policemen were booked for offences like driving without helmet, triple riding and using cellphone while driving, Garg added.



Launched in May 2010, Facebook page has become a popular medium for Delhi residents wanting updates on traffic jams, road blocks, processions etc which affect traffic movement in the city.



The medium is used by alert citizens for registering complaints against drivers or vehicles flouting traffic rules by putting up their photos or videos.



The Delhi Traffic Police Facebook page currently has more than 1 lakh followers. Challans are sent to violators by the traffic police through post.



“These days, if any policeman in the field is summoned by senior officials and they do not know the exact reason for it they also check the Facebook page to confirm whether anybody has posted anything against them,” a traffic police official said.



Rule breakers



* Total prosecutions since May 2010: 21,617

* Defective/fancy number plates: 11,361

* Violating stop lane: 946

* Without helmet: 939

* Triple riding: 163

* Using cellphone: 609

* Without seat belt: 64

* Other violations: 10,810