LAUNCESTON Police have issued a few words of reassurance to the public, following the lockdown announcement last night.

Following last night’s announcement by the Prime Minister, Launceston Police would like to reassure the public that they are doing everything possible to keep the community safe during this time.

Inspector Julian Morris said: “We are dealing with a national health emergency, and I would strongly encourage the public to adhere to the measures implemented at all times. These measures have been introduced to protect the community, in particular the most vulnerable, and will help to prevent the spread of this highly contagious virus.”

Inspector Morris went on to say that his staff will be visible in their communities and will seek to enforce the restrictions: “Like myself most of my staff live within the communities of North Cornwall and I will be advising them to be firm but friendly with those that they believe to be flouting these restrictions.

“The Government will be giving the police additional powers to deal with this and we will enforce it, as the public would want us to.

“As an organisation we are working hard to ensure that front line services are maintained during this fast-developing scenario, utilising back office departments to bolster resources where appropriate.”

Inspector Morris explained that with the restrictions on people’s movements, there was a potential for crimes linked to domestic abuse to increase, but that dealing with this and reducing the demand remained a priority for the force. He said: “We are constantly working with our partner agencies to try and identify and target perpetrators and to support victims. This is a force priority and we will deal robustly with any recorded incidents.”

Inspector Morris also urged people to remain vigilant to fraudulent emails and texts, adding: “We are all receiving a huge amount of information through various media platforms and unscrupulous people may seek to utilise this to defraud people. My advice is never to click on hyperlinks given in emails or give any personal details to anyone over the phone or email.”