Police in Manchester are using the power of social of media.

Parcel delivery firms and online retailers who rely on courier services have had the power of social media demonstrated to them with a new initiative from a British police force.

Greater Manchester Police is publishing details of every 999 emergency call it receives on the microblogging sire Twitter over a 24-hour period in an effort to make the public aware of what happens on the frontline of policing.

Chief Constable Peter Fahey is hopeful that the exercise will prove fruitful for the police.

He explained that policing is often seen in "very simple terms", with the reality quite different to the normal image of "cops chasing robbers".

"A lot of what we do is dealing with social problems such as missing children, people with mental health problems and domestic abuse," he added.

"Often these incidents can be incredibly complex and need a lot of time, resource and expertise."

The news comes after Twitter announced that it is handling one billion queries per day thanks to new technology.

Posted by Laura Rathbone

Article Added: 14/10/2010 15:00:41