Wiltshire Police have been criticised on social media for using a Twitter poll to ask the public which village they should patrol.

The force posted on their account: "Which village would you like us to patrol later today?" The options given were Aldbourne, Great Bedwyn and Worton.

Over 200 people responded to the tweet, with the village of Great Bedwyn winning by 39% of the vote.

The force later responded with an update saying: "Great Bedwyn got the vote! Quick pit stop to refuel and we’ll head there!"

However, some followers responded saying the poll was "inappropriate" and it would encourage criminals to target the other two villages.

In response to some of these tweets, Chief Constable Kier Pritchard, replied to one user saying:

"We patrol areas based on intelligence, likely risk and threat and where we can do our level best to reassure the public and prevent crime. This tweet was just part of raising awareness that we have to make choices and involve the public, we can’t be everywhere."

A spokesperson from Wiltshire Police said "Engaging with the public and talking openly about the decisions we have to make is important to us."