FROM assaults to pocket dials, from burglaries to reporting car crashes in America, Dorset Police showcased the type of calls they get during a 24-hour ‘tweetathon’.

Starting at 9am on Friday morning, until 9am on Saturday morning, the force’s operators tweeted basic details of every 999 call or issue via 101 they received during the period.

It was part of the police’s ‘Your Dorset. Your Police. Your View’ campaign, which was launched this month to focus on local policing and public contact methods.

The police received 338 ‘999’ calls during the time, with 943 ‘101’ non-emergencies passed to call handlers. Some of the calls ranged from the weird and the wonderful to more serious incidents.

One caller phoned 999 to ask police to fix a broken door handle at their property, with another caller reporting a car crash in Massachusetts, USA.

One man was repeatedly told to go to bed by call operators after he called the service 16 times at night and remained silent throughout the calls.

Three goats blocking the road in Dorchester were reported, as well as one man who was angry at a takeaway delivery driver after he did not have change following his order.

One person phoned police to say that they had lost their friend – in a pub.

A number of fights and assaults in Weymouth and Dorchester were also reported throughout the day, plus several burglaries, a minor car crash and multiple reports of anti-social behaviour.

Domestic abuse incidents were also commonly reported, and operators also received calls regarding counterfeit notes being used in Lyme Regis, and criminal damage to a car in Bridport.

There were also several reports of lost property, possible drink drivers and suspicious activity.

Assistant Chief Constable David Lewis said: “The Tweetathon event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase a typical day for Dorset Police and highlight the varied work that our staff carry out across the county."

“I hope it will allow the public to learn more about the very many incidents, crimes and issues police officers deal with and the vital work that is carried out to protect the public and help keep them safe.”

Later in the month, members of the public will be able to voice their opinion on what incidents should be prioritised by police, and what methods of contact they would prefer to use to report different types of issues.

The aim of the tweetathon and the campaign is to give members of the public and insight into what type of enquiries the force gets on a day-to-day basis, and help the public shape the future of the service.

The tweetathon was well received by users of the social networking site.

Charlotte Mcleod tweeted: “Very good 24hr tweets giving public insight into wide range of work. Inc use of 999... #YourView”

Jo Funnell posted: “Amazing insight over the 24 hours. Interesting and educational hope it helps show what you deal with #YourView”

Carrie Proctor added: “Fantastic Tweetathon going on at the moment. Interesting to see the sheer variety of calls they have to deal with.”