Commissioner's column: Year of significant successes to be followed by major police reforms

After the fun and festivities of Christmas and New Year, it is now a time of reflection when many of us will be thinking about the year gone by and our hopes for 2026. 

Although 2025 saw the need to navigate both expected and unpredictable twists and turns, overall, it was a year of real progress for Devon & Cornwall Police and my office. 

A distinct highlight was the force coming out of enhanced monitoring, reflecting the commitment of officers, staff and volunteers to deliver continuous improvement.  

It would not have been possible without the strong leadership of Chief Constable James Vaughan who last summer agreed to an extension of his contract which will provide much needed stability until January 2027.  

One of the most common requests I hear from people when carrying out my role as your Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is wanting to see more police officers on our streets. Thanks to Mr Vaughan, numbers will increase by 171 come the end of March. This will be made up of 121 police officers who will have been brought into frontline roles and 50 new police community support officers (PCSOs).   

I have every faith that we will see further improvements made throughout 2026 to ensure that we have an effective and efficient police force that residents of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly rightly deserve. 

My office achieved many great successes in 2025 which I am very proud of. These include: 

It was also another year of incredible people receiving awards for their fantastic achievements that are helping to keep our streets safer and support people who need it the most.  

They include Plymouth Police Cadet and carer Crawford Kerr, whose achievements saw him named Inspirational Person of the Year at the Plymouth Youth Awards; Rebecca Hewitt, strategy and policy manager and chair of South Devon and Dartmoor Community Safety Partnership (CSP), who was the recent winner of the OPCC’s Combating Violence Against Women and Girls award at the West Country Women Awards; Fran Hughes, the CEO of my office, who won Director of the Year, at the same awards ceremony, and our Prisoners Building Homes scheme which won Programme of the Year at the UK Civil Service Awards.   

The recipients of my Commissioner’s Awards this year have included Exeter CCTV operator Megan Ward for her crucial work in securing a conviction for a sexual assault case, Tara Harris, Divisional Director of Community and Customer Services at Torbay Council, for her part in keeping people safe and reducing reoffending, and retired inspector Miles Topham who achieved 28 years of service, including being the project lead to introduce Tri-Service Safety Officers (TSSOs) - a unique model – into Cornwall and now Devon. 

As we begin the new year, I would like to extend my gratitude to all those in the emergency services who worked tirelessly over the festive period, as they do throughout the year, to save lives. 

We wait with bated breath to hear what will be contained within the government’s delayed White Paper on Policing Reform, now expected in early 2026. It could potentially result in major boundary changes to our current police force areas and will include PCCs being abolished by 2028 – a role which will be absorbed by elected mayors or Policing and Crime Boards, made up of local government leaders. 

Due to key national roles held by staff within my office, the development of these significant changes will be carefully monitored.  

I have decided to step away from party politics and become an independent. I believe it will enable me to fight on behalf of all of us to secure the policing resources we have in Devon and Cornwall – 43 per cent of which is funded by all of us. 

We must get our voices heard about our views on the future of our police force. If you haven’t filled out my annual survey yet then do let me know what you think is important. To take part in the  Your Safety, Your Say survey visit https://dcpcc.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/v3/yoursafetyyoursay2026?step=step1 

Although 2026 brings uncertainty, my top priority remains delivering the key policing objectives set out within my Police and Crime Plan which are tackling antisocial behaviour, drugs and alcohol, serious violence and theft, while carrying out my usual duties and responsibilities as your PCC. 

I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2026, and look forward to sharing more successes with you throughout the year.