Devon & Cornwall Police News site

Information for media

Our Corporate Communications and Engagement Department deals with thousands of media enquiries a year.

It provides journalists with information regarding ongoing incidents, crime and policy issues as well as organising interviews and media opportunities.

The teams are also responsible for issuing a variety of proactive content – to media and on our own channels - such as witness appeals, investigation and court updates as well a host of other news releases.

Media enquiries

The News Desk and Media Team is available to help journalists with enquiries between 7.30am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday.

Please note the team can only handle calls and enquiries from accredited journalists and regulated news outlets - and not members of the public.

Unfortunately, the team cannot help students, citizen journalists or amateur filmmakers.

You can contact the News Desk and Media Team by telephone on 01392 225200 or by emailing media@dc.police.uk.

Outside of office hours, urgent media enquiries can be made via Force Incident Manager (FIM) on 01392 225200. If necessary, the FIM will contact the on-call media officer.

Please be aware that the team logs all media contact on a secure database; comprising the name, organisation and contact details of the enquirer, questions asked and replies given. This is done for auditing and legally-required disclosure purposes.

Please be aware that, due to a high level of demand, we respond to media enquiries using a tiered approach - starting with those linked to more serious incidents/offences and operational urgency.

Lower-level enquiries might have a longer response time.

The Media Team requires a certain level of information to be provided before we can look into an incident; including a date, approximate time and location. If this information is not provided, we might not be able to progress your enquiry.

Major incidents

During critical live incidents, our primary focus will be on providing regular updates on our channels.

Therefore, please monitor our website and main social media channels for updates.

If a major incident is declared, we will be collaborating with other emergency services and the agency with primacy will be confirmed.

We will work closely with other agencies to co-ordinate our messages to the public.

We will prioritise the use of social media channels for fast-time messages and updates.

Follow-up enquiries to social media posts

We also publish a wealth of information on social media. Where this appears on the Force's main accounts – Devon & Cornwall Police on Facebook and @DC_Police on X – we can assist with any follow-up enquiries.

However, the News Desk and Media Team does not have the capacity to respond to enquiries about the many posts on local policing team accounts.

For follow-up enquiries on these posts, please make contact using the same social media channel.

When setting up a Force social media account, officers and staff agree to respond to any follow-up questions they generate, whether from the media or the public.

Requests for statistics

If your enquiry is purely about statistics, you are advised to first research the matter on the Devon & Cornwall Police Publication Scheme website.

If the data is not already published, please submit your enquiry to the Freedom of Information team.

The Corporate Communications and Engagement Department can be approached to provide a response to any questions arising from statistics.

Media filming requests

We receive a large number of filming enquiries from news organisations, production companies and documentary makers each week.

Unfortunately, we are only able to support a fraction of the opportunities we are presented with.

In order for us to prioritise requests that are of most interest and represent the best value to both Devon & Cornwall Police and the public interest, we ask that you fill in the Media Filming Requests Form.

This will ensure we are clear on the outcomes and objectives of the filming, that we understand the operational impact of the filming on the organisation, and that we have all the details we require to make a decision.

Custody photographs

Our news teams can provide photographs of those convicted of a crime in accordance with national and Force guidelines.

Custody images can be requested via our online form here. 

Photographs will only be released upon sentence of a crime when a custodial sentence of a minimum of 12 months has been imposed by the courts.

In murder cases, a photograph of the offender may be released upon conviction. 

These images must be used in a fair and proportionate way and on the understanding that they will only be published or broadcast in connection with the criminal proceedings they have been issued for.

We would like to remind the media that the maximum length for publishing custody images should not exceed the time period set by law for the associated conviction to be spent.

Under no circumstances will Devon & Cornwall Police or the Crown Prosecution Service accept liability if custody pictures are reproduced, distributed or published in any form of media – electronic or otherwise – other than the specific criminal proceedings they have been issued in connection with. 

Images remain the copyright of Devon & Cornwall Police.

By using any image, you accept the terms and conditions above.

Appeal images

Images released to the media as part of an appeal, such as photographs, CCTV or videos, should only be used for the purpose of the appeal. Any individual or company using these images is responsible for ensuring their appropriate and timely removal when notified of an update Devon & Cornwall Police.

Missing people

Images released to the media to help with locating a missing person should only be used for the purpose of the appeal. Any individual or company using these images is responsible for ensuring its appropriate and timely removal when notified of an update Devon & Cornwall Police.

By using any image you accept the terms and conditions above.