Bobby turns to Twitter to reduce crime

A policeman has turned to social networking site Twitter to fight crime - sending out tweets on his beat.

Since signing up last November, PC Ed Rogerson, 28, has gained 800 followers who receive his internet messages, which include weather warnings, reports of missing cats and wild deer and tales of derring-do such as catching two vandals.

The bicycle-riding bobby's postings from his beat in the small town of Starbeck, near Harrogate, North Yorks, are proving so popular that up to 100 people a day are signing up to get them, some as far away as America and Australia. He even has a fan in Iran.

The number of criminal offences in Starbeck is down 40 per cent on 12 months ago and PC Rogerson is convinced his daily tweets - short messages limited to a maximum of 140 characters - have played a big part.

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