West Yorkshire Police offers live chat

The force is one of the first to introduce live chat, which gives residents an alternative way of getting in touch with officers.

Tom Donohoe, the force’s customer contact centre manager, said: “Gone are the days when our customers only wanted to get in touch with us on the phone. We live in an ever changing world and have introduced this to ensure we move with the times. This in no way replaces the traditional means of communicating with us - it merely complements them. So people can still ring us up as they always have been able to - but we also recognise that in the digital age some people want to get in get in touch through different ways.

“Live chat compliments our already existing online propositions - lost property, report a crime, ASB reporting and track my crime, which is coming soon.”

“Live chat has also enabled us to better assist people who might be reluctant to speak to the force and offers an alternative means of getting in contact. It can also help people who are speech impaired or hard of hearing.”

Visit www.westyorkshire.police.uk and click on the ‘contact us’ link to use live chat.