Man on the run for a year caught by beach patrol

Police have started a series of patrols on Cornish beaches that aim to catch criminals by surprise.

One of the patrols on Newquay's Fistral beach, witnessed by the BBC, involved at least half a dozen officers.

Sgt Mike Friday, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said officers arrested a man who had been wanted for a year on their first visit to the beach.

Police said the patrols were part of an operation called Project Servator, which was set up to disrupt criminal activity while providing a reassuring policing presence to members of the public.

Sgt Friday said more patrols would be conducted around Cornwall's beaches for the rest of the year and these would be "unpredictable" so no-one knows when officers would be present.

Speaking of the arrest of the wanted man, he said: "We had someone run away from us.

"He was wanted for criminal offences and he's been wanted for over a year and he's been hiding down here in Newquay and we've caught him.

"This is what it is - it's to deter people coming here committing crime and to make sure people stay safe."

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez last week called for additional summer funding to tackle growing anti-social behaviour.

It came after police said they were "shocked" to see the number of young people out early in the morning.

Follow BBC Cornwall on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].