POLICE are celebrating the bravery, dedication and professionalism of frontline response officers this week.

When you call 999, it’s Devon & Cornwall Police’s response officers who are usually the first on the scene, with blue lights flashing and sirens wailing.

When people are confronted with the most upsetting and terrifying moments in their lives, it’s those officers who respond.

Devon & Cornwall Police officers attend around 200 emergency calls every single day of the week, keeping people safe and saving lives across the largest policing area and the longest road network in England.

Response officers never know what they’re going to face, because every day is different.

They need to be ready for anything, from securing the scene at a major incident, talking to a vulnerable person on a bridge, dealing with aggressive drunks on a Friday night or supporting a distressed burglary victim.

Sometimes, all in the course of a single shift.

Every day brings new opportunities for Devon & Cornwall Police’s officers to put their training into practice.

Response Policing Week of Action is an opportunity to highlight the reality of response policing and show our pride in the people behind the uniform.

It is being delivered in partnership with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service.

Throughout the week, forces in England and Wales will be showcasing the work done by response officers on social media using the #ResponsePolicing hashtag.

Local Policing Chief Superintendent Roy Linden said: ‘People join the police for a variety of reasons, but the single biggest factor is the desire to help others.

‘Response policing is the best example of that desire in action where our colleagues face a new challenge every day.

‘We have just taken on one of our largest single intakes of new officers and you can really see the enthusiasm and determination to help in their eyes.

‘They really want to make a difference, serve their communities and make their friends and families proud.

‘It is inspiring to see and it’s a privilege to work with people who do such brave and difficult work, often placing themselves in harm’s way to protect others’.