The freedom of the press guaranteed in the German constitution is one of the outstanding features of a democratic constitutional state. It creates the conditions for the formation of will and opinion. For this reason, the state press law obliges authorities to provide representatives of the press with the information they need to fulfill their public duties.
Press work
The press work of the Viersen district police authority is based on the following objectives and standards, among others:
- It fulfils its obligation to provide information in accordance with Section 4 of the NRW state press law and creates the basis for objective reporting in the media.
- It clarifies the police's legal mandate to the public.
- It conveys an objective image of the police to the public.
- It informs the public on specific occasions in order to sensitize them or encourage them to participate.
Press work as a special form of public relations includes providing or forwarding news and assessments of events or developments in police work to the media. Press work also includes the evaluation and compilation of media publications and the supervision of media productions.
Public relations work
Public relations work is about making police activities transparent and understandable.
This is done in a variety of ways, for example via the Internet presence or by providing information materials such as brochures, flyers, posters, but also by organizing public events. An important part of today's public relations work is social media. Here, the Viersen police provide regular information via the Facebook page and the X channel. X is used on special occasions, such as demonstrations, to inform the public about events with short tweets.
In addition to outward-facing public relations work, the department is also responsible for ensuring internal police communication. This is done, for example, via the internal police intranet, which is available to all police employees to keep them informed about official developments.
