West Mercia Police is inviting local people to become its 'friend' by joining the force's official Facebook page or following it on Twitter.

Through the social networking sites, people will be able to get regular updates on what is happening across West Mercia. The Facebook page also includes details of the latest force campaigns, information on how to report a crime or contact local officers, plus photographs and other useful links to highlight a wide range of force activities.

Visitors can also interact with West Mercia Police by posting messages on the wall of its Facebook page, giving their opinions on local issues or asking for information and advice.

West Mercia Police's web development officer Neil Tipton said: "We are already beginning to see people posting their comments on the Facebook page and more than 400 have signed up ahead of the official launch. We've been able to help people with enquiries about joining the force as a police officer or police cadet, tackling speeding cars in residential areas and how to report offensive websites.

"You can find us easily on Facebook and Twitter by following the links from our homepage at http://www.westmercia.police.uk">www.westmercia.police.uk . We would love to hear from more people about how they would like to see the pages develop, so why not sign up and post us a message and begin the conversation."

Do you use social networking sites? Would you like to join a Ross Gazette Facebook group or follow the Gazette on Twitter? If you are interested in seeing the Gazette develop new ways of keeping in touch with our readers email the Gazette at [email protected]">[email protected]