Police call for volunteer drivers

Unmarked cars often sit for hours without being used

Police in Newquay are asking members of the public to volunteer their services as drivers.

Officers want people to drive them between engagements in unmarked police cars.

Insp Dave Meredith said it would save the force money because many of the local unmarked cars were sitting unused for hours at a time.

They want qualified drivers who have a good knowledge of Newquay and the surrounding area.

Insp Meredith said many officers took unmarked cars to meet with victims and their relatives. But while officers conducted interviews, cars were often left unused for several hours, he said.

His idea would see a volunteer drop an officer off at an engagement and then go on to taxi other staff to meetings around the town.

The volunteers need no training and Insp Meredith said they would not be expected to take officers to an emergency.

He said: "We will accept offers from everybody and take it from there."