Derbyshire Police’s Facebook reaches 10,000 likes

Launched in 2008, the force’s Facebook page has grown in popularity, receiving 5,000 extra ‘likes’ in the last 12 months alone.

Witness appeals, CCTV footage and updates about missing people inquiries are just some of the items posted on the page.

Several crimes have been solved, and missing people found, thanks to people seeing appeals on Facebook and contacting the force.

One missing person appeal, posted in November, reached more than 48,500 people and was shared 783 times. A Facebook user who saw a missing person appeal on the site last May contacted the force when they later saw the person pictured in Wirksworth town centre. Officers were dispatched and the man was found.

A photo of two men police wanted to speak to about an assault in Chesterfield was posted on Facebook in December and several residents got in touch to put names forward. Two men have since been charged with theft.

The force has also seen a rise in the number of people who follow the constabulary on Twitter in order to receive similar appeals. The account was launched in 2009 and is now followed by 34,600 people.

Seventy-seven Safer Neighbourhood Team officers now tweet on the beat, with nearly 25,000 followers in total. The teams have sent 40,000 tweets between them.

A list of Derbyshire police Twitter accounts can be found here derbyshire.police.uk/My-Local-Police/Safer-Neighbourhood-Teams-on-Twitter