Detectives will be taught to track down criminals using Facebook and Twitter, police leaders said yesterday.

Training has been changed to cover how to gather information from computers and mobiles and includes new guidance on investigating "honour" crimes, domestic violence and rape.

The course is taken by about 3,500 student detectives a year. Deputy Chief Constable Nick Gargan, the acting head of the National Policing Improvement Agency, said: "This programme is a vital part of the career pathway for detectives and the new training covers sensitive areas of policing where limited guidance existed previously.

"These improvements are exactly what detectives need to tackle the challenges and complexities of modern policing effectively.

"The changes underline the importance to having a national agency to provide guidance and train detectives to a single high standard so they can work on investigations in any part of the country and give their colleagues and the public the best quality service in fighting crime."

The escaped prisoner Craig Lynch mocked police with clues about his whereabouts on Facebook during four months on the run this year.

In London, detectives are examining posts on Facebook and Twitter relating to the murder of 17-year-old Marvin Henry on Wednesday during a suspected fight between rival gangs.

The revised training also includes material linked to a national collection of footprints made by specific shoes and information on how to collect financial information.