POLICE dogs proved they could tweet as loud as they bark when they gave followers on a social network an insight into their busy working lives.

Drugs dog Griffin and general patrol dog ’Ell were called up for duty on the third day of Wiltshire Police’s Tweet Week, an attempt to reach out to the public on Twitter.

Tweeting yesterday on behalf of the pair was PC Marie Poole, who has been a dog handler for 20 years.

She works alongside 11 other dog handlers in the force, who between them manage a total of 19 animals, including general patrol dogs, explosive detection dogs, firearms support dogs and drugs dogs.

Some of the animals are also trained to search for cash and weapons.

Marie is responsible for Griffin, who was a rescue dog, and ’Ell. Both work and live with her full time.

During yesterday’s shift, the canine squad was busy with drugs raids in Stratton and the town centre.

Several arrests were made for possession of class B and A drugs, which had been identified by Griffin.

One tweet issued on the Twitter @wiltshirepolice feed read: “Another good find by Griffin. Large quantity of cannabis found before we searched. Griffin found some hidden Class A.”

Personal tweets from Griffin included: “Did a search, earnt my Ball. this is what I come to work for!”

Another said: “Been left in the van. I have a lovely memory foam bed. I remodel the corners. Marie always finds this exciting.”

Marie said: “I love the variety my job offers and the opportunity I have to work with such brilliant dogs who are not only great at what they do but are also fantastic companions.

“They are able to perform roles unequalled by humans.”

She added: “It is important that we utilise as many ways of communicating with the public as we can, to ensure they are kept informed, which, in turn, helps keep them safe.”

Today, the force’s head of forensics, Barbara Lockwood (#WiltsForensics), will give an insight into the various aspects of forensic work carried out in the county.

Finally in Tweet Week, tomorrow Detective Sergeant Joe Saunders from Swindon CID (#CidSaunders) will provide an idea of the type of investigations officers deal with and how they react to incidents and cases as they unfold.

Other Wiltshire Police Twitter sites that can be followed by the public include: @CIDwiltspolice @marlboroughheast @calnecop @trowbridgenpt @swindoneastcop @bluznzuz