Suffolk Police has increased its presence on social networking sites by launching a Twitter account for the force helicopter.

@Angliaskycops launched this morning and police are encouraging residents to follow the new account.

Last August Suffolk Police launched a Twitter account for the whole force, tweeting about campaigns, news stories and more. The account now has in excess of 3,600 followers and police hope the new helicopter will prove just as popular.

Followers of the @Angliaskycops feed will be informed of where the helicopter has been and why, giving residents an insight into the vast amount of incidents it attends.

In an average year, the helicopter deals with around 1,500 tasks and is a vital tool for fighting crime in the county. These tasks include assisting officers on the ground with searching for suspects and missing people as well as evidence gathering, conducting vehicle pursuits and surveillance.

Roger Lewis, an observer with the Air Operations Unit said:

“We hope to use the Twitter feed to highlight the positive work being done by the Air Operations Unit and to keep members of the public informed as to why the helicopter has been deployed. We hope people will enjoy finding out more about the Unit and hopefully our tweets will give some explanation as to why we have been deployed and give some interesting insights into a very important policing tool.”

To follow the force’s Twitter page visit: www.Twitter.com/Angliaskycops