WILTSHIRE Police have vowed to put more bobbies on the tweet as they turn to a social network in a bid to reach out to the public.

The force, which is the oldest in the country, will embrace new technology and hope to boost its Twitter followers when officers commit to a week of tweeting, starting on May 14.

The Wiltshire Police official Twitter account – @wiltshirepolice – reached more than 4,400 followers yesterday, and several other feeds, including a dedicated Criminal Investigation Department account – @cidwiltspolice – and several run by local neighbourhood policing teams are also available for people across the town to follow.

Greater Manchester Police have the largest following of more than 99,000, while the Metropolitan Police Service has several feeds, including a dedicated one for its helicopter, which amount to about 90,000 followers.

Wiltshire’s deputy chief constable Mike Veale will begin the week, tweeting throughout the day to give followers a taste of what his role entails.

He is likely to be followed by a detective, a PCSO, a forensic examiner and even a drugs dog called Griffin.

A police spokesman said: “We are hoping this week of tweeting will kick-start it and see us reach more people.

“Since last February, when we had just 140 followers, it has soared to 4,400.

“We have a busy summer ahead and will be looking to tweet from events like the Olympic torch relay and the jubilee.

“It’s another avenue for communicating with the public. It won’t replace the traditional forms of communication but it is an extra way for the public to get information.”

Speaking when West Swindon Police launched its Twitter feed, PC Tom Turner said: “I think there are so many different ways and types of media people use and we can use mobile connection devices to get wider coverage.

“We need to use this to reach other sections of the community where maybe they don’t have as much coverage.”