Crime panel member calls for commissioner to resign

It's in the wake of the suspension of acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell

Pressure is mounting on Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner to resign after she suspended the force’s acting chief constable, just 18 months after taking similar action against the permanent chief constable.

Cllr Caroline Leaver (Liberal Democrat, Barnstaple South), who sits on the region’s police and crime panel, says Alison Hernandez should step down immediately due to her “errors of judgement” in relation to her choices of chief constables.

Ms Hernandez suspended acting chief constable Jim Colwell this week because of alleged professional standards breaches.

On Monday, a mandatory referral was made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which will now investigate the allegations.

Two days later, Mr Colwell was told he is being “investigated for potential gross misconduct in respect of his use of a work issue mobile phone to exchange messages of a personal nature without a policing purpose”.

A spokesperson for the IOPC added that an investigation “does not necessarily mean that any proceedings will follow.”

The move comes 16 months after Devon and Cornwall Police’s chief constable, Will Kerr, was suspended after the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI) said it is investigating “serious allegations of sexual offences” before he joined Devon and Cornwall Police. Mr Kerr denies any wrongdoing.

“This news [about acting chief constable Colwell] has been a shock, and it is beyond belief that we have a police and crime commissioner who has made a number of errors of judgement about appointing people,” Cllr Leaver told Radio Exe’s Devoncast podcast.

“It’s shocking that so much money is being spent paying people who are suspended on full pay.”

Cllr Leaver said Ms Hernandez had recently apologised for hiring her deputy, Torbay councillor Mark Kingscote, in spite of the police and crime panel being against it.

“For me, what all this says is that the police and crime commissioner has demonstrated a tremendous lack of judgement when appointing people to senior roles,” Cllr Leaver said.

“I think to be honest she should resign, and resign with immediate effect, as I don’t think we can have confidence in her decision-making.”

Asked if other panel members she had spoken to shared her view that Ms Hernandez should resign, she said: “Absolutely. How can anyone have any confidence in her as the police and crime commissioner?

“She has displayed repeated lapses of judgement, or poor judgement, and so shouldn’t be there.”

The police and crime commissioner is an elected role, meaning that unless Ms Hernandez steps down, she will continue in the job until May 2028. She started her third four-year term in May.

Another member of the police and crime panel, Cllr John Loudon (Independent, Sidmouth Rural) said it was Ms Hernandez’s responsibility to decide who she appointed.

“But it doesn’t feel good in terms of what due diligence is being undertaken for the quality of people put forward,” he said.

“I may well be adding apples and pears, but if you look at what has gone on in the past year, it doesn’t feel like the police and crime commissioner has a grip on things.”

Cllr Loudon added that the speed with which acting chief constable Colwell was appointed meant the police and crime panel did not have an opportunity to scrutinise his candidacy before his appointment.

“Suspension does not confer guilt, but if you look at a normal workplace, how many people are suspended in 12 months?” Cllr Loudon said.

“If this were happening in a company, I would be asking what the board was doing in terms of selecting the people it was appointing.”

On Mr Colwell’s suspension, Ms Hernandez has said: “Sadly it has been my duty to suspend A/CC Jim Colwell and refer this matter to the IOPC.

“Suspension is a neutral act to enable an independent and thorough investigation to take place. It has no bearing on any indication that the allegations will be upheld and should not be seen as such.

“A/CC Colwell has seven days to make representations to me relating to his suspension.”

The office of the police and crime commissioner has been contacted to comment on the call for Ms Hernandez’s resignation, but hasn’t responded.