Suspended chief constable quits after being cleared in sexual offences probe

A chief constable who has been suspended from his job for over two years has announced he is retiring.

Will Kerr was suspended as chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police in 2023 after it emerged he was under investigation following allegations of sexual offences.

In April this year prosecutors in Northern Ireland said a decision had been taken not to bring charges against him.

Mr Kerr was a former assistant chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

He had worked for the PSNI for 27 years, later joining Police Scotland before moving to Devon and Cornwall Police in December 2022.

The force’s police and crime commissioner, Alison Hernandez, said it had been “mutually agreed” with Mr Kerr for him to retire, which would allow for “new and stable” leadership to be appointed.

A misconduct investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in England continues although this was not related to the criminal allegations investigated in Northern Ireland.

In a statement, Mr Kerr said: “Having been cleared in relation to what I believe were malicious criminal allegations in Northern Ireland, I have decided that it’s now in the best interests of my family and the force that I retire as chief constable.

“After nearly 36 years of public service, this is not the way I would have chosen to retire but the force, and communities across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, deserve stable leadership in policing.

“I remain a strong advocate for effective accountability in policing, but that accountability process must be fair, timely and proportionate.

“Sadly, like too many other officers, that has not been my experience over the past two years.

“I continue to wish all of the highly committed officers and staff in Devon and Cornwall Police well and, despite the personal challenges of the past few years, I remain proud of the value of community-focused policing, and a firm supporter of the people within its ranks.

“I would also like to thank PCC Alison Hernandez for her consistent support over the past two years, and her commitment to fair and proportionate justice.”

Ms Hernandez added: “Suspension from duty is a neutral act and there is always a presumption of innocence until proved otherwise.

“I have now agreed Mr Kerr’s departure from the force to allow processes for new and stable leadership to take Devon and Cornwall Police forward as this is now in the best interests of all parties.

“Mr Kerr’s skills and experience will be a loss to UK policing.

“I remain frustrated at the amount of time this investigation has taken and the way that cross jurisdictional issues have lengthened the process during separate investigations by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland and now the IOPC.

“His departure does not signal guilt, but instead a deep appreciation of the need for Devon and Cornwall Police to move forward with stable leadership from a substantive chief constable.

“James Vaughan will continue as interim chief constable until a new recruitment process is complete.

“In accordance with police misconduct regulations, the investigations will continue.”

Yesterday, it emerged allegations of misconduct against Jim Colwell, the former acting chief constable of Devon and Cornwall, have been found proven and he received an 18-month written warning.

He has now returned to his role as deputy chief constable.