Think Twice before you head out this Bank Holiday

The Force is involved in a partnership campaign ‘Think Twice’ launching today with other LRF agencies. It focusses on people making the right decisions to help stop the spread of the coronavirus; before you decide to leave the house, please ‘Think Twice’ as your actions count.

Assistant Chief Constable Glen Mayhew, said: “This is an unprecedented public health emergency and it is taking an unprecedented national effort to fight this virus. What we do collectively can mean the difference between saving lives and risking lives.“The lockdown that we are currently living through affects us; not being able to be with family or friends; impacts on peoples work and businesses; financial concerns and the impact that this plays on our mental health – this is a challenging time.

“We need to do all we can to prevent this virus from gaining the ability to escalate further. So I am asking you to ‘Think Twice’ before you consider leaving your home”

One particularly poignant event, which may tempt people to relax their compliance with the current government restrictions, is the 75^th celebrations of VE Day.

ACC Mayhew added: “VE Day allows us to all take some time to reflect on the sacrifice, courage and determination of those who played their part during the Second World War.

“This is something that we should all keep at the front of our minds as we are all asked to do our part to help tackle the spread of this deadly virus - Please find the time to mark the VE Day celebrations and to do so in a safe way.

“Now is not the time to relax social distancing measures and to pop and see a few friends. The Government direction, at this time, continues to be to socially distance and it is important that we all adhere to it.

“An area that concerns me is the gathering of groups. Whilst we will continue to engage with people to understand, over the weekend my officers will enforce as a last resort.”

The force recently undertook a public survey seeking views on how Devon and Cornwall Police are working through the Covid-19 lockdown. The results were extremely positive with over 91 percent of responses supportive of our current approach.ACC Mayhew said: “The key to making this work within Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly is for everyone to continue to be fair and reasonable.“Our approach, policing by consent with the public, partners and communities has been well received. This approach continues to not be taken lightly and we are fortunate that the vast majority of people not only in our counties but across the country are staying home and protecting lives.

“Thank you for all your support, and please ‘Think Twice’.”

#ThinkTwice #VirtualVisit #StayHomeSaveLives

--- Note to readers: This message has been disseminated by Devon and Cornwall Police - please visit their official website for further information.