HAMPSHIRE Constabulary has come under fire for refusing to provide details on how its officers police social media.

Civil liberties watchdog Big Brother Watch (BBW) has published a report revealing that almost 6,500 people across the UK were charged with communications offences between 2010 and 2013, including at least 355 cases involving social media.

But Hampshire was one of just two police forces that refused to supply any data after a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, citing the cost, the time and the fact that it had too many cases to keep track of.

Emma Carr, BBW director, said that this was “unacceptable”. She added: “There is very little standardisation between police forces in how often these powers are used and in how they are recorded.

“This means that the current picture is patchy at best and at worst completely misleading.

“This is very much highlighted by Hampshire police’s refusal to provide us with accurate information.”

The data covers various forms of communication, including letters, phone calls, text messages and social media that are offensive, indecent, obscene and menacing messages.

Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes has urged young people to speak out about online abuse after 45 per cent of a survey of 800 11- to 25-year-olds said that they had received abusive messages.

A Hampshire police spokesperson said that the force wanted to be “open and transparent” about the figures and confirmed that it would look again into the FOI request decision.