Delayed police chief confirmation meeting

THE preferred choice for Devon and Cornwall Police’s next chief constable has had wait a little longer for his appointment to be approved, after a meeting to rubber stamp his appointment was postponed due to the Queen’s death.

Will Kerr OBE, a deputy chief constable in Scotland, was chosen to run the police service in Devon and Cornwall, following the retirement of Shaun Sawyer last month. Mr Sawyer had been in the role for more than a decade.

The appointment was set to be scrutinised at a confirmation hearing of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel in Plymouth

on Friday, September 16, but, because of the period of mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the meeting was delayed until today.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez announced at the beginning of this month that DCC Kerr is the preferred candidate for the job, describing him as “an exceptional strategic leader” and said his “passion for the job and the high standards he holds himself and others to shone through” in the recruitment process.

DCC Kerr spent over 27 years in the Police Service of Northern Ireland

and joined the National Crime Agency (NCA) on secondment in 2017. He was awarded an OBE in 2015 and joined Police Scotland in 2018.

In announcing DDC Kerr as the preferred candidate for the role, Ms Hernandez declared: “In Will, we were presented with someone who was not only an exceptional strategic leader, but someone who was able to clearly articulate how he would use this leadership to develop a police force that worked hand in glove with our residents and partners to tackle crime and protect the most vulnerable in society.”