NEWS

Devon & Cornwall Police inspection finds force underperforming in half of areas assessed

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services has “serious concerns” over investigations management and says force still needs to reduce response times despite “significant efforts to improve”.

Leigh Curtis

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has assessed Devon & Cornwall Police performance in eight areas, grading it as good in one, adequate in three, requiring improvement in two and inadequate in two more.

HMICFRS said Devon & Cornwall Police was good at preventing and deterring crime and antisocial behaviour and reducing vulnerability.

It said its performance was adequate when protecting vulnerable people, using police powers and treating people fairly and respectfully, and when building, supporting and protecting its workforce.

However it said its internal leadership and force management performance as well as as its management of offenders and suspects required improvement.

The inspectorate also found that while Devon & Cornwall Police had made improvements in its 999 call-handling it still isn’t responding to the public as quickly as it should, and that its investigation standards had deteriorated, resulting in too few offenders being brought to justice.

It graded the force’s performance as inadequate in both areas, saying it had “serious concerns about how it manages its investigations”.

Devon & Cornwall Police was moved into the inspectorate’s enhanced monitoring scheme eighteen months ago following a previous assessment that was also critical of its performance.

Andy Cooke, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said: “Since our previous inspection, the force has made significant efforts to improve in the areas we highlighted as causes of concern or areas for improvement.

“However, despite those improvements, more is required to place the force in a position where it is consistently providing a good standard of service to its local communities.”

Devon & Cornwall Police has been led by Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell since July last year after its Chief Constable Will Kerr was suspended following allegations of sexual offences.

HMICFRS Devon & Cornwall Police performance grading summary graphic HMICFRS Devon & Cornwall Police performance grading summary. Source: HMICFRS.

The HMICFRS assessment found that despite some improvements in the management of investigations, Devon & Cornwall Police has “understaffed and inexperienced teams investigating serious offences”.

It found that the force had missed investigative opportunities in 29 of 94 cases and “unnecessary delays” had occurred in a quarter of the hundred cases which were reviewed during the inspection.

It found nineteen of 66 investigations did not have an investigations plan. College of Policing practice guidance says such plans are needed to enable officers to “make the most of all available opportunities to gather evidence”.

Devon & Cornwall Police supervisors told the inspectorate that a lack of skilled investigators had led to large caseloads, limiting capacity for effective case supervision.

The inspectorate also found the force is failing to support victims, identifying cases in which there were “significant failings and victims had been let down”.

Proportion of victim-based crimes assigned a 'charged/summonsed' outcome by Devon and Cornwall Police 2015-22 graphic Proportion of victim-based crimes assigned a “charged/summonsed” outcome by Devon and Cornwall Police 2015-22. Source: HMICFRS.

The number of crimes solved by Devon & Cornwall Police following investigations is also low.

Of 88,500 “victim-based crimes” recorded by the force in the year to September 2022 – those involving an individual, organisation or corporate body – only 4.7% were assigned a “charged/summonsed” outcome, in which defendants are required to attend court.

This is significantly lower than the 6.1% average across England and Wales.

The inspectorate found that delays in assigning outcomes to crimes identified during its previous inspection had not been resolved, with backlogs of 86,500 reported incidents and 38,000 tasks requiring completion in the force’s crime management systems.

It said such backlogs can lead to staff being reassigned from other activities, causing delays in outcomes and leaving the force without a complete picture of the data held in its systems.

Devon & Cornwall Police told the inspectorate that it dedicated teams, supplemented with agency staff, were working on reducing its backlogs, which have fallen by 40% since November last year.

It also said it has implemented a new investigations operating model which includes the introduction of police investigation “hubs”, the first of which is already operating in Exeter.

It said these would mean that “more complex investigations can be led by detective sergeants and experienced detectives”, improving outcomes.

HMICFRS PEEL Assessment Devon and Cornwall Police 2023-25 report Devon & Cornwall Police inspection report. Source: HMICFRS.

The HMICFRS assessment also found that Devon & Cornwall Police needs to improve the time it takes to answer non-emergency 101 calls and to reduce the number of such calls that are abandoned because they go unanswered.

National Police Chiefs’ Council guidance says forces should aim for a 101 call abandonment rate of 5%. In February this year the rate for Devon & Cornwall Police was 48%.

The inspectorate said that some callers attempting to get through to 101 call 999 instead, making this service less efficient and effective.

It nevertheless found that Devon & Cornwall Police 999 call-handling had improved since its previous inspection.

While it fell short of the national standard rate of 90% of 999 calls answered within ten seconds in 2023, it met the national standard in February this year.

Acting Chief Constable for Devon & Cornwall Police Jim Colwell Jim Colwell, Acting Chief Constable, Devon & Cornwall Police. Photo: Devon & Cornwall Police.

Devon & Cornwall Police Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “In the answering of emergency and non-emergency calls, for example, the performance data quoted in the report is not a fair reflection of our current performance, with limited recognition from HMICFRS of the improvements we have made.”

The 2023-24 annual report from the Devon & Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, also presents a more favourable picture of the force’s performance.

It says that 89.6% of 999 calls were answered within ten seconds during the period it covered, compared with 75.3% the previous year. Between November 2023 and April 2024 it says this rate increased to 94.9%, with an average answer time of four seconds.

The report also says that during the twelve months to March this year the average wait time for 101 calls was 25 minutes and 56 seconds, with 51% of calls answered within twenty minutes and 45% of calls abandoned.

However it says that between November 2023 to April 2024 three quarters of 101 calls were answered within twenty minutes and just under a quarter of calls were abandoned.

Subscribe to The Exeter Digest - Exeter Observer's essential free email newsletter

Your personal information will be processed and stored in accordance with our Privacy Policy

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell said: “I fully acknowledge that we still have work to do to ensure that our investigations are completed to the high standards that the public would expect of us – particularly when it comes to serious and complex crimes.

“We have made progress since the last inspection, but I recognise there is still much more to do if we are to deliver a better level of service to our communities and reduce some of the pressure on our colleagues.”


Democracy doesn't work when people don't know who is deciding what on whose behalf and what the costs and consequences of those decisions will be.

Exeter Observer is proving that reader-funded media can deliver the independent public interest journalism our local democracy needs.

Upgrade to a paid Exeter Observer subscription to support our work and get access to exclusive premium content and more.

More stories
Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell, previous chief constable Will Kerr and interim chief constable James Vaughan

Devon & Cornwall Police deputy chief constable Jim Colwell receives 18-month misconduct warning

Outcome of Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation delivered day before retirement of suspended chief constable Will Kerr announced, with Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez unwilling to say whether “golden handshake” agreed.

Newtown active travel scheme map

Newtown active travel scheme approved after four years of public consultations

Joint Devon County Council and Exeter City Council project includes road closure, car parking changes and contraflow Clifton Hill cycle lane.

South West peninsula 2025 spending review road and rail investment map

Dawlish rail resilience, Exeter A379 bridge renewal and Cullompton M5 J28 schemes all shelved after spending review

Government road and rail funding announcement billed as “the biggest boost to England's transport infrastructure in a generation” largely passes Devon and Cornwall by while leaving final phase of South West Rail Resilience Programme undelivered.

Illustrative floor plan of new redevelopment proposals

New Heavitree Road police station student accommodation and “co-living” complex proposals submitted to Exeter City council

Application for full planning permission for 813-room scheme in seven blocks follows decision to reject previously-proposed 955-room scheme in two blocks which was subsequently upheld at appeal.

Change in bus passenger journey numbers 2019-20 to 2023-24 by England local transport area bar chart

National Audit Office finds decline in Devon bus passenger journey numbers among largest in country

Devon journeys down 28% – seventh from bottom across 85 areas – while journeys in Cornwall increased by more than 40%.

Danny Barnes

Danny Barnes received full £15,000 Devon County Council allowance during 2024-25

Heavitree & Whipton Barton councillor failed to sign off £14,600 community grants after attending only two of fifteen public meetings and is alleged to have worked for Scottish Labour MP Imogen Walker since shortly after last year’s general elections.

, updated

On Our Radar
Summer at the Quayside illustration

TUESDAY 29 JULY TO FRIDAY 29 AUGUST 2025

Summer at the Quayside

A month of free family activities including weaving, felting, doodling and drumming.

EXETER QUAY

Spork! summer special

THURSDAY 31 JULY TO THURSDAY 14 AUGUST 2025

Theatre in the Park

Exeter Phoenix hosts an al fresco summer theatre season featuring Shakespeare, spoken-word poetry, puppetry and physical comedy.

ROUGEMONT GARDENS

Three Acres And A Cow production still

SATURDAY 2 AUGUST 2025

Three Acres And A Cow

A history of land rights and protest in England told in folk song, story and poetry.

SIDWELL STREET METHODIST CHURCH