A POLICE Inspector wants more people to turn to Twitter to help his force crack crime.

West Thurrock Insp Leigh Norris has came up with Operation Coniston and is encouraging residents to report speeding and persistent anti-social behaviour.

It is thought to be the first ever police operation to run via Twitter, with users just having to use the hash tag “OpConiston” to report concerns.

Insp Norris said: “It’s just a trial at the moment.

“But it’s a bit different. It’s certainly not for emergencies, but for ongoing issues or anything road traffic related.”

Since starting his role in West Thurrock almost two years ago, prolific tweeter Insp Norris has introduced Twitter as a way of interacting with residents - and his staff across the borough.

It is hoped the new operation will mean residents can make concerns known to police quickly and conveniently.

He said: “People can tweet us with their concerns, whether it be speeding, HGV traffic and i’ll look at those complaints and delegate them out to officers to deal with.”

Police recently dealt with concerns over lorries using Ship Lane, which is when Insp Norris decided to give the operation a name and encourage more residents to get involved.