KINGSTON, Jamaica — The police are today renewing their appeal for people to use social media responsibly and in keeping with the provisions of the law.

According to the police, they have increasingly been receiving complaints from members of the public that their images, along with incorrect information, are being circulated on social media.

The police said that one recent case featured an image of a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), who was wrongfully labelled as a criminal suspect.

The police cautioned that such images are extremely distressing for law abiding people and causes severe discomfort for their families as well. In some instances, the images can also undermine and compromise ongoing criminal investigations, the police said in its release.

“As such, the public is being reminded that the right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech is limited by the provisions of legislation such as the Cybercrime Act and the Defamation Act. Persons who knowingly and/or maliciously circulate photos of persons may be arrested and charged or may face civil law suits for defamation of character,” the release stated.

The police added that it while welcomes the public to share information deemed useful to investigations, or which highlights suspicious people, this information should be shared directly through the established channels such as Crime Stop or with the JCF social media pages.