Social media is being used to track criminals.

Online retailers who rely on parcel delivery and courier services are already well aware of how important social media can be to building brand awareness.

Now it seems the police are also getting on the case and are to provide training to detectives on the use of sites like Facebook and Twitter to catch criminals.

The National Policing Improvement Agency is behind the scheme, which will benefit around 3,500 officers every year.

Deputy Chief Constable Nick Gargan explained: "This programme is a vital part of the career pathway for detectives and the new training covers sensitive areas of policing where limited guidance existed previously."

He added that the improvements to the training approach are needed for detectives to handle the difficulties of modern policing.

The news comes after Greater Manchester Police engaged in an experiment that saw the force posting details of every 999 emergency call made over a 24-hour period on the microblogging site Twitter.

Posted by Matt Watts 

Article Added: 01/11/2010 17:26:55