Devon & Cornwall Police is reassuring its communities today following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens for the murder of Sarah Everard yesterday.

The Police recognises confidence in policing, particularly from women and girls, has been rocked by this tragedy and the actions of Wayne Couzens.

Deputy Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “Following events in London, the sentencing of Sarah Everard's murderer cannot remove the pain and suffering of her family or loved ones. Our thoughts are firstly with them.

"We know confidence in policing, particularly from women and girls has been significantly impacted by this tragedy and the thought that a serving officer abused his position and turned against everything we are here to do is sickening. Wayne Couzens has betrayed everything we stand for.

"We must and will continue to work harder with every part of the justice system and the communities we serve to rebuild trust and make our streets as safe as possible for women and girls.

"Communities should be reassured that police officer’s will always look to verify their identity when engaging with members of the public."

Deputy Chief Constable Colwell added: “We understand how concerning the actions of Couzens were and the desire to know how to verify an officer's identity.

“Police officers always carry identification and can always be asked for verification. They are used to providing that reassurance.

“Police officers will not always be in uniform, but it would be extremely unusual for an officer in plain clothes to be working alone. If they are, they should be calling for assistance with other officers arriving very soon to support them to help you if you are in need.

“In light of the actions of Wayne Couzens it is right that police officers expect and are tolerant of those who wish to be further reassured. They will want to explain and reassure who they are, what they are doing and why – that must only be expected and respected from our communities.”