WILTSHIRE POLICE is set for a shake-up of its social media as several of its accounts announce a departure from Elon Musk's 'X', formerly known as Twitter.

For years the @WiltsSpecOps and @wiltspolicedogs accounts have provided updates on the different units within the county force via Twitter and then X, but those pages will be closing. 

Instead, the goings on Wiltshire Police's dog units, and the Roads Policing and Armed Reponse teams will be shared on Instagram going forward. 

A post on the Wilts Police Dogs page said: "Following national guidance, we are moving away from ‘X’ and adopting Instagram & FB to keep you informed about our amazing Wiltshire Police Dogs & the important work they do to help keep our communities safe.

"This page will close on 31 Oct thank you so much for your support."

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police has offered a further update for the reasons behind the departure.

"Forces are encouraged to consider the social media accounts we use, with consideration around how best to reach the communities we serve," they said. 

"In this instance, we have taken the decision to make use of Instagram for content relating to Wiltshire Police Dogs and Specialist Ops which gives us greater scope to provide more variety of engaging content and connect more effectively with our communities. These accounts will move over from Twitter.

"For clarity, there is no national policing guidance on leaving certain platforms, however, we must ensure we use the most appropriate channel to maximise our engagement with our communities."

 

The news has been met with dismay from many who enjoyed getting their updates on Twitter, and from specific accounts. 

One person said: "It’s good people will still be able to follow your work but it sounds like you won’t have your own dedicated page anymore anywhere just for the dogs?

"I know it probably sounds bad but I follow a lot of police dog accounts and not so many general police ones!"

Another added: "Terrible decision, not yours obviously but no dedicated dog team sites just whatever the sanitised corporate coms team want to put out on the main force page, sad to see you go."