The countdown is on for the Eastern Bay of Plenty Police, as they prepare to merge their Facebook Page and become one with the wider Bay of Plenty region.

Both Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty Facebook pages will merge to form one Bay of Plenty Police Facebook page on December 5, as Bay Police move to maintain the best possible communication with its growing audience.

The Eastern Bay of Plenty Facebook page will merge with the Bay of Plenty Police page on December 5.

The Tauhara Paetiki Facebook page in Taupo is the only page that will remain independent of the district page, as this is operated by the Neighbourhood Policing Team with a specific neighbourhood focus.

The @BOPPolice Twitter account will also remain active.

'The more successful it becomes, the more resource intensive it becomes – and we know the public want our staff out in our communities, and not in offices on computers,” says prevention manager inspector Scott Fraser.

'To those who follow us, it is little more than a name change. They will continue to see local news and local appeals for help, just as they do now.”

Messages will be posted on the Rotorua and Eastern Bay of Plenty Facebook pages during the coming days, encouraging current followers of those pages to switch to the Bay of Plenty page ahead of the closures of those two pages.

'We hope our followers stick with us and continue to support this valuable forum. We also welcome new followers and feedback about the Facebook page, so that we can look for ways to improve it even further.”

The transition to the www.facebook.com/BOPPolice begins today with the intention of closing down the Rotorua and EBOP pages on December 5.