TAVISTOCK'S police were out in force recently, as Devon and Cornwall Police launched a day of action across the two counties.

The day, named Operation Everest, involved police hosting a series of events aimed at speaking to local people about the concerns that matter to their community, and identify and tackle local priorities from these concerns.

The day coincided with England's match against Slovenia, and officers visited many licensed premises in the town and surrounding villages.

As well as offering support to licensees, Sgt Dave Anning said that officers were checking that no irresponsible drinks promotions were being offered.

Sgt Anning said: 'I'm pleased to say that all our pubs are well managed.

'The atmosphere in the build up to, and throughout the match, was excellent.

'There was one minor disturbance after the match, but it amounted to angry words and no-one was hurt.'

Officers also joined forces with staff from Tavistock Community College to locate truants.

Sgt Anning said students were tempted to leave college grounds by the combination of hot sunny weather and the sight of older students leaving after taking exams.

Officers patrol around the college regularly now, and seven pupils were returned to lessons on last week's action day. The overall aim of the patrols is to raise attainment by ensuring greater attendance.

Local surveys identified several speeding hot spots around the town, and on the action day officers used equipment to both advise drivers and to enforce the law where speeds were too high to justify advice.

A number of fixed penalty tickets were issued for speeding, most of them on the Callington Road. Several drivers were also found to have no tax and received tickets as well as being reported to the DVLA.

The day concluded with a litter pick in Horrabridge where around 25 youngsters from the village youth club helped out along with a local youth worker, the neighbourhood policing team and a member of the parish council.

Throwing themselves into the task, the youngsters managed to clear Weir Park and the Fillace Park area over a period of several hours.

Sgt Anning said the improvement was noticeable and helped to identify locations where litter bins may be of most use in the future.