IN THE wake of Sarah Everard's murder at the hands of ex-police officer Wayne Couzens, police have offered advice on interacting with officers.

Sussex Police issued a statement following Couzens' sentencing last week detailing their advice for anyone who is concerned.

Details of Miss Everard's death shocked the nation as it came to light that Couzens falsely arrested her in March this year for breaching Covid rules before kidnapping, raping and strangling her.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: "We fully understand that some members of the public may be concerned and require more reassurance.

"Our frontline officers and staff want to do all they can to rebuild that trust and will be understanding to an increased level of challenge and scrutiny in their interactions."

The force have said that it would be "extremely unusual" for an officer in plain clothes to be working alone when responding to an emergency and if they are, they should be calling for assistance with other officers arriving very soon.

Detectives and investigators will ordinarily operate in plain clothes but will always carry police identification.

The advice published online reads: "If you find yourself interacting with a sole police officer and you are alone its entirely reasonable to seek further reassurance of that officer’s identity and intentions."

It states that those who are concerned should ask a series of questions to ascertain this information.

- For their identification, which they will always carry

- Where are their colleagues?

- Where they are from?

- Exactly why they are stopping and talking to you?"

"Should you need further reassurance ask them to provide independent verification. Ask to speak through the radio to the operator to verify they are a genuine, acting legitimately, or ask a passer-by to observe, or call 101 or direct message us on Facebook and Twitter which is monitored 24/7 by our control room.

"If you genuinely feel threatened or in danger, shout out for help or use 999 to contact police," it states.

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