Devon and Cornwall PCC Apologizes Following Deputy Appointment Controversy

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Alison Hernandez has issued an apology after questions arose concerning the swiftness of her decision to appoint a deputy. In July, the Police and Crime Panel, which provides oversight for the commissioner’s office, cast a vote against the selection of Mark Kingscote, a former Torbay councillor, to serve as Ms Hernandez’s deputy. Immediately following that meeting, Ms Hernandez informed journalists that she would not be accepting the panel’s recommendation. Ms Hernandez stated that she “did not accept that [her] actions [had] brought the office into disrepute,” but she did “offer a sincere apology to the panel if they [felt her] comments to the press were in any way discourteous.” Five councillors on the panel indicated that while they acknowledged the commissioner was not obligated to accept their advice, they had anticipated she would dedicate some time to consider their reservations regarding whether her preferred candidate, identified as a former mental health nurse, possessed the requisite experience for the position. During an extraordinary panel meeting convened to address the matter, councillors voted to accept the commissioner’s apology. They also requested that her office collaborate with them to establish a “clear process for future appointments.”