Devon & Cornwall Police are working with residents and businesses in St Ives and Falmouth to ensure they are kept up to date with developments regarding the forthcoming G7 Summit.

With St Ives and Falmouth identified as key locations, neighbourhood policing teams will be engaging with members of the public inviting them to follow local social media pages and sign up to a free messaging system called 'Neighbourhood Alert'.

Superintendent Jo Hall of Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed:

"Neighbourhood Alert and social media are great ways for us to keep in regular contact with members of the public; especially in the run up to the G7.

"Our priority is to work closely with our communities to provide peace of mind about all aspects of the G7 Summit coming to Cornwall. Significant engagement and communication will be undertaken with residents and businesses and many other interested parties over the next few months."

Available to both residents and businesses, Neighbourhood Alert gives people the choice of receiving messages via email, text or voicemail at times that suit them.

Messages can be tailored to specific groups and areas, so the information received is always relevant.

Neighbourhood Policing Teams in St Ives and Falmouth have been on targeted patrols to raise awareness of Devon and Cornwall's alert service, showing people how they can benefit from the system as well as addressing any concerns. Posters and banners will also be on display to promote the service.

Warren Trestrail, Neighbourhood Beat Manager for St Ives, explained:

"It is a great tool that enables us to get important messages out to hundreds or thousands of people really quickly in a very simple way.

"Neighbourhood Alert is particularly useful for residents who do not use social media or are not online and can receive text messages or messages via voicemail.

"Although there are currently over 35,000 registered Neighbourhood Alert users across Devon and Cornwall, there are only 108 in St Ives and 5,594 Facebook followers. We hope to increase these numbers significantly in the coming months to engage with as many members of our community as possible and help to keep them updated."

To find out more about Devon & Cornwall Alert and to sign up to the free service, visit the website or speak to your local neighbourhood officers.

Alternatively, registration forms are stocked in St Ives and Falmouth police enquiry offices.