Devon and Cornwall Police have issued a warning to an individual they believe vandalised one of their police cars - “We know who you are, and we will find you”.

Officers from Bodmin Police Station were attending an incident in the Pool Street area of Bodmin on the evening of February 3 when one of their cars was vandalised, with the perpetrator believed to have used a brick to smash a windscreen and dent the offside wing mirror.

They launched an appeal for anyone with information about the vandalism to contact them.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said at the time: “On Friday 3rd February 2023 at approximately 1910hrs, Police attended the Pool Street area of Bodmin and were making enquiries into an incident when someone decided to cause this mindless damage. A brick was used to smash the windscreen and dents were caused to the paintwork on the offside wing mirror. If anyone knows who caused this damage or witnessed it happen, please get in touch quoting crime reference 50230027913.

“This vehicle has been off the road since it happened - hopefully it will be fixed soon but that was one less vehicle at our disposal over the weekend to attend to the many incidents that were reported to us. Contrary to what some believe, we do not have an endless supply of vehicles to use and ultimately the cost of this repair will come from budgets that are already stretched. Unfortunately, it’s our community that will cover the cost of this.”

However, the team from Bodmin Police station has now issued an update after the damage to their vehicle, saying that thanks to excellent CCTV footage and information from the community, they have identified the perpetrator.

Suggesting that the suspect is a youth, the latest statement, published on the Bodmin Police Facebook page, also says they’d spoken to the suspect’s mother already and that the best thing the person responsible can do is hand themselves in so it can be sorted out.

The update from Devon and Cornwall Police reads: “We have investigated the damage to our marked police car like any other report and thankfully, due to excellent CCTV footage and information from the community, we have established who caused this damage. We have made efforts to locate them too.

“A message to that person: We know who you are - you also know that we know! We have even been and spoken to your mum. We will find you sooner or later. The best thing you can do is to hand yourself in and we can get this sorted out.”