Cornwall MP Criticizes Police Force Over Payment of Three Chief Constable Salaries

An MP representing a constituency in Cornwall has voiced criticism regarding the local police force, citing a “leadership melodrama” that has led to three individuals receiving a chief constable’s salary of £180,000 each. Currently, Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP) is disbursing salaries for three chief constables, following the suspension of two of these senior police officials with full remuneration. Perran Moon, the Member of Parliament for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, stated: “The DCP leadership needs to get a grip and sort out this wholly unsatisfactory and expensive mess.” According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Alison Hernandez, the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner, has formally requested a special grant from the Home Office to offset the expenses associated with these salaries. Chief Constable Will Kerr’s suspension occurred in July 2023, subsequent to the initiation of an inquiry into “serious allegations of sexual offences,” which he has refuted. His position was filled by Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell, who was himself suspended last month after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) declared an investigation into potential gross misconduct. James Vaughan, who previously served as chief constable in Dorset, has now been appointed as the interim chief constable for Devon and Cornwall, resulting in the payment of three senior police official salaries. Moon commented: “While we have so many local policing challenges on the ground in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, the ongoing leadership melodrama at Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP) continues.” Ms Hernandez stated that the officers would remain on salary until the conclusion of the misconduct investigations. She further explained that her request for Home Office funding was prompted by the potential for the IOPC’s investigations to require “weeks, months or even years to conclude their investigations.”