'24-Hour Tweet' Shows Police Behind The Scenes

Police in Northern Ireland have given the public a rare insight into their work by tweeting about their cases over 24 hours.

During the #KeepingPeopleSafe event, PSNI officers gave their followers live updates on arrests and callouts across the country - along with statistics which revealed that crime has fallen by 58% in the past decade.

At one point during the event, officers were dealing with 148 calls nationwide - but some, including a man who rang 999 to sing Lionel Richie songs down the phone, were a waste of time.

Between midnight and 6am on Saturday morning, 12 people were reported missing, nine of whom were quickly found.

Officers also attended seven incidents relating to individuals with suicidal thoughts over the same period.

Some of the quirkier cases that PSNI were involved with included an injured pigeon on a pavement in Newtownabbey, and helping three people who were stuck inside Ballymena train station.

There was also a report of cattle on a road in Antrim.

Pictures were also posted of some of the dogs who help the police search for intruders and seize drugs.

PSNI organised the campaign to give the public an insight into how taxpayers' money is spent within the force.