Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez's latest blog:

As your Police and Crime Commissioner, I was pleased to hear last week from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) that Devon & Cornwall Police has now officially returned to the default phase of monitoring. HMICFRS reports are one of the tools I can use to hold the Chief Constable to account for the performance of the force.   

This will be welcomed by the residents of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, and is a moment to reflect on how far the force has come and to praise the dedication of police officers and staff in delivering the services and standards we all expect.  

In October 2022, HMICFRS placed the force into what is known as the Engage phase of enhanced scrutiny (or as the media call it 'special measures'), due to concerns in three areas: the management of violent and sexual offenders (MOSOVO), their ability to answer emergency (999) and non-emergency (101) calls, and crime recording standards.  

Over those challenging months, officers and staff worked tirelessly to turn performance around, and I said at the time the force had the leadership and collective resolve to rise to that challenge.   

Fast forward to mid 2025, and despite some challenges remaining and disruption to leadership, their efforts have paid off. HMICFRS has formally discharged the force from two of the three areas of concern – first MOSOVO back in January 2025, and then the crime recording inadequacies lifted to “requires improvement” status following significant progress – while investigations remain under close watch.   

HMICFRS has recognised sustained, measurable improvements in the force response times on both 999 and 101 calls. In 2024, 94.2 per cent of 999 calls were answered within the target of 10 seconds, an improvement of 5.8 per cent compared to 2023. In the second half of the year, the average wait time for 101 calls was 3 minutes 43 seconds, almost 27 minutes quicker than same period the previous year.  

Devon & Cornwall Police received more than 69,000 reports through the force website in 2024. Across the whole year, the average wait time was less than 12 hours. This dropped to just under five hours in December 2024.   

Most significantly, HMICFRS is satisfied that the force performance has now reached a level of improvement for returning to normal monitoring, signalling recovery and renewed confidence in its policing standards. It's not just about meeting metrics – it’s evidence that the force is rising to expectations, rebuilding trust, and providing a service you deserve.  

On separate note, I want to briefly acknowledge the impact of comments I made at the Police and Crime Panel recently. The panel is made up of councillors who are tasked with scrutinising and offering support to my role. I have since apologised for any upset caused by what I said in relation to major crime investigations in Cornwall – although I spoke in good faith – and regret that the resulting political posturing of those against what I stand for and frenzied media activity took away from what was a chance to showcase the last year's work of my office.  

At the meeting I presented our draft Annual Report for 2024-25, which highlights the extraordinary efforts of the force alongside scrutiny from my office, the level of victims my office helps and public engagement.  

Panel members were updated on how taxpayers’ money is being invested into hotspot policing, antisocial behaviour schemes, crime prevention partnerships, the recruitment of more Police Community Support Officers and the redeployment of police officers into neighbourhood teams. We received positive feedback from panel members about the investment made in night bus services across Devon and Cornwall – you can find out more about this here.  

Though there is progress to celebrate, however, the force's journey is far from over. The Chief Constable will be working to ensure improvements are maintained along with the quality of investigations and victim updates. Through the scrutiny work of my office and my role in chairing the Local Criminal Justice Board, we have jointly worked with the force and the Crown Prosecution Service to go from second bottom to the Metropolitan Police in file quality back in 2023 to in the top 10 performing to help secure prosecutions quicker.   

I will continue to work closely with Chief Constable James Vaughan to drive improvements and assist with resources. As outlined in my new Police and Crime Plan 2025-29, I am focused on key priorities: antisocial behaviour, serious violence, drugs and alcohol, theft, and continuous improvement in the work of the force.  

This is a moment of genuine pride – restoring Devon & Cornwall Police to normal status under HMICFRS monitoring is the result of collective focus, strong leadership, and perseverance.  

Here’s to building on that success, with record numbers of police officers the force has ever had, 3,610 in part, thanks to you for paying more in your council tax to make it happen, lots more police community support officers currently being recruited thanks to additional government funding, tackling remaining challenges head on together with the force and with our volunteers, partners and our law abiding communities to ensure that Devon & Cornwall Police remains the trusted force we can all rely on in our most desperate times of need.