This is Hull and East Riding --POLICE are dealing with a rising number of crimes involving Facebook.
The number of offences involving the social network has rocketed from nine in 2008 to 223 last year.
Last year, the force investigated three crimes relating to Twitter – its first offences involving the network.
The cases range from sex offenders setting up profiles to meet and groom victims, to people posting offensive or threatening messages online.
Earlier this year, the Director of Public Prosecutions issued guidance on when police should prosecute people who have posted comments on social media.
A spokesman for Humberside Police said: "The force is aware of reported criminality through social networking sites and has welcomed DPP prosecution guidance.
"We are developing our processes to make sure we can give the correct advice to victims.
"The force is continuing to work with social media platforms to prevent and detect crime, while also assisting in safeguarding people online."
Predator Carl Bielby was jailed for 22 months last year after setting up fake Facebook profiles to target young girls in Hull.
He used the site to groom five pupils aged between 11 and 13 from a secondary school in the city.
Bielby, of Great Thornton Street, west Hull, was caught after the parents of the girls informed the school, who told social services and the police.
Ceri Shipman used Facebook to try to frame two women who had been raped by her boyfriend, Jason Savage, using fake Facebook accounts.
She was jailed after admitting using the accounts to send false messages to herself claiming to be the two victims saying they had made up the allegations.
Other sex offenders have used Facebook to contact and groom their victims, including piano teacher Matthew Kelsey and Kegan Cole, who went on to indecently assault his victim in a park.
Earlier this year, the force investigated several reports of people posting threatening messages online following the death of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich.
Several people on the south bank were prosecuted after using Facebook to encourage people to bomb or set fire to a mosque in Grimsby.
Guidelines set out by the Crown Prosecution Service say prosecutions are unlikely if they simply relate to messages which are grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or false.
However, people who post messages containing "credible threats", breach court orders or are used as part of a harassment campaign can expect to be prosecuted.
British Transport Police Chief Constable Andy Trotter, who is the lead on communication for the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "Reports of credible threats and communications made over social media that specifically target an individual and constitute harassment will be taken very seriously by the police and investigated.
"There are many grossly offensive, indecent and obscene comments made every day on social media that will not meet the threshold and where the police should not be involved.
"Thousands and thousands of potential crimes would cause great difficulty for a hard-pressed police service. We would like to see social networks do more to take action." Reported by This is 3 hours ago.