Cornish school pupils will be “taking over” Devon and Cornwall Police today as part of the 'National Takeover Day' led by the Children’s Commissioners for England.

Eight pupils from schools in the Launceston, Bodmin, Liskeard, St Austell and Truro areas will have the opportunity to shadow a sector inspector for the day.

In the morning, pupils will look at crimes in their area, resourcing and deployment of officers, and consider reasoning behind decisions they would take.

Then, later in the day the pupils will represent and report on their allocated area at a senior management meeting chaired by geographic commander, Superintendent Julie Fielding.

Superintendent Julie Whitmarsh from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are really pleased to be taking part in this day; it will be a great way to engage with young people and also hear their thoughts and views on policing in their areas.

“The role of Sector Inspector is extremely important and central to policing our communities across Cornwall. They make many important day-to-day decisions, which will be really interesting for pupils to be involved with. It is hoped the senior management meeting will help pupils understand how the Force is structured and how information is passed through the organisation.

“As a Force, this day should be very interesting for us, we see it as an opportunity to learn from young people and look at ourselves with fresh eyes. It is really important that we hear their thoughts about how we can tackle crime and prevent harm in our area and look further at how we can support our young people.”