Police commissioner appoints deputy

But police and crime panel dont support her

Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner is to appoint a deputy, despite a panel which scrutinises her work telling her they don’t recommend it.

Alison Hernandez wants Torbay councillor Mark Kingscote as her deputy,  a man she earmarked for the role in 2017 but never recruited.

She said the force faced challenges in its performance and on the streets and she did not have the time to tackle both.

Mr Kingscote, she said, had a “unique set of skills”, including working with people with complex mental health needs over a 30-year career in the NHS, to focus on the problems on the ground while she helped the leadership of an organisation which she confesses is “in dire straits”.

It follows a report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which rated the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary as requiring improvement and inadequate in half of the areas it examined.

Ms Hernandez cited the long-term suspension of chief constable Will Kerr as a source of the issues around performance.

Mr Kerr has been suspended for a year and is under investigation for sexual assault allegations by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland (PONI), which he strenuously denies.

The commissioner said she wanted a street-focused campaign against anti-social behaviour, drugs and homelessness that would start in Torbay and then act as a blueprint for the rest of Devon and Cornwall, but she couldn’t do it without a deputy who had the drive of someone like Mr Kingscote.

She told the panel she had worked well with him for 15 years and they shared a ward when they were former Conservative councillors in Torbay. He chaired the planning committee and would be key to helping with planning and estate management, she said.

Whilst Ms Hernandez is an elected official, her deputy can be recruited, and she said half of the PCC across the country have such posts.

However members of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel took the same stance as they did in 2017 and did not support her plans.

Chair of the panel Cllr Sally Haydon (Lab, Plymouth, St Budeaux) said the deputy’s salary – £59,000 – would be better spent on police officers. Others questioned Mr Kingscote suitability for the post.

Cllr Chris Penberthy (Lab, Plymouth, St Peter and the Waterfront) said the street-focused campaign had not been scrutinised by the panel or gone through a public consultation, and should be road tested first before a case is made for employing a deputy to head it. He said it was being done the wrong way round.

Ms Hernandez claimed she was “breaking new ground” and wanted to recruit quickly.

She said: “The reality is we have a challenge in Devon and Cornwall police, both in the performance of the organisation as a whole and in the streets where people live.

“One of the things I need is some capacity at the moment is to get to street level with my job, not just organisational level, and that’s why I am appointing a deputy.

“This is a political role, so it’s like a mayor appointing a deputy. It’s an internal role and not for the public to decide, and I believe he will do an excellent job in helping me carry out my responsibilities and duties.

“I look forward to working with him on some of those areas that will help me focus on the force performance but I do not want to neglect concerns around anti-social behaviour and drug dealing.”

She said she was not expecting the panel to back her this time because they did not do so in 2017.

“We have a force that is engaged with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, an acting chief constable because I have had to suspend the one I recruited, and I am building a leadership team to make sure I have the capacity and capability to move this organisation forward.”

Cllr Martin Worth (Con, Cornwall, Saltash) supported the commissioner: “Yes, it’s a lot of money but he will have to work damn hard,” he said.