Devon and Cornwall Police experienced its busiest summer on record - with officers facing “unprecedented levels of demand”.

The force received more than 420,000 calls and messages between June and August as millions of holidaymakers visited the region.

This includes more than 70,000 emergency 999 calls, 320,000 non-emergency 101 calls and 30,000 emails.

Police recorded 72,400 incidents, 26,500 crimes and more than 4,700 arrests.

Ch Supt Glen Mayhew said: “There is no doubt this has been an incredibly busy summer with unprecedented levels of demand facing our force.

“We have never recorded such high levels of calls.

“It is a testament to the outstanding work of our officers and staff that we have been able to do our utmost to meet demand while maintaining positive feedback from the public.”

The force said it created a dedicated task force to deal with the challenges of the summer season - including the massive influx of tourists.

Ch Supt Mayhew said: “We welcome many millions of people into our region over the summer which has a hugely positive effect on the economies of our communities.

“But having the ability to flex our resources to deal with such a peak in demand is at times incredibly challenging at all levels of our organisation.

“Whether this is roads policing, assisting vulnerable people, call handling or maintaining a visible presence in our communities – doing more with less can be very difficult to manage.

“While we have seen arrests rise by some 15 per cent, recorded crime has actually decreased by 4.9 per cent compared to the same period in 2018.”

Ch Supt Mayhew said: “We are endeavouring to use technology whenever possible to help us in our daily business.

“The advent of a new Intelligent Voice Recognition service on 101 and encouraging officers to use mobile devices as effectively as possible has had an impact, but this is an area we would like to develop.

“All frontline officers also have the option of using body-worn video cameras, so that has also helped us.

“Ultimately we hope our resident communities and tourists alike have appreciated the incredible efforts of all of our officers and staff to make Devon and Cornwall and safe and secure place for all.”