I found a mobile phone in Coverack and after doing all I could to find the owner in Coverack, I took the decision to take it home and notify the police. I rang the 101 non emergency number, as Helston police station is closed to the public. After being kept on hold for nearly an hour I gave up. (I resisted the temptation to pop round and give the phone to one of my neighbours who is a friend and local police detective) Luckily the phone was not passcode locked, so I looked through the contacts and managed to contact the owner through another number. The owner was a holiday maker staying in Gunwalloe, so I was able to take the phone and return it to the owner, who told me it was their last day of their holiday.

As the 101 number is clearly not a feasible option for reporting lost property, or anything else, unless one has over an hour to wait on the phone, I located an online email contact for local police, just for future reference. I am however left wondering how those with no online facilities, contact the police within a reasonable time scale, for non emergencies.

Gilly Zella Martin