GLOUCESTERSHIRE police are taking part in a 24-hour 'Tweetathon' today to demonstrate how they are using technology to catch criminals.

Three other forces in Durham, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire will also be taking part to show how they use communications data to locate criminals and solve crimes.

Communications data is the ‘who’, ‘when’, and ‘where’ of a correspondence, not what is written or said.

It is used at the early stages of investigations to prove or disprove where a person was, or to determine who they were with or who they spoke to.

The information could prove guilt as well as innocence.

Police can complete telecommunications checks for crime such as frauds, harassments, burglaries, robberies or thefts, under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

Communications data has also been used to tackle social media harassment which could lead to more serious crime.

National policing lead for communications data, Gloucestershire's assistant chief constable Richard Berry said: “The argument is often made that we can have privacy and freedom or security. In the police service, we believe we can have privacy, freedom and security.

“That is a guiding principle under which we act and we work hard to get the balance right.

“Communications data is one of the most valuable tools we have to investigate crime today and is vital if we are to keep pace in today’s digitalised world.”