Devon and Cornwall Police placed under new level of monitoring

Devon and Cornwall Police has been moved into the second-highest tier of a national policing performance system after inspectors found the force was failing to manage demand, investigate crime properly or safeguard victims.

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) issued what it calls an "accelerated cause of concern" on 25th September, moving the force from Level Two to Level Three of the Policing Performance System.

Every force in England and Wales sits somewhere between Level One and Level Four, which is known as special measures, according to HMICFRS.

The move follows a reinspection carried out at the request of the force's own Chief Constable, James Vaughan, to check progress against concerns raised during its 2025-27 PEEL inspection.

What inspectors found

HMICFRS said Devon and Cornwall Police's performance had deteriorated against the causes of concern identified in that earlier inspection.

Inspectors found the force does not consistently carry out or supervise investigations in a way that safeguards victims, according to HMICFRS.

In some cases, the force did not identify or address the risk of serious harm to victims for several weeks, the inspectorate said.

A significant amount of investigative work had also not been promptly allocated to teams, HMICFRS found.

It said the force's operating model does not allow it to effectively manage the demand it faces.

HMICFRS has told the force that, with immediate effect, its strategic leaders must review how they understand and manage demand and risk so that incidents, crimes and safeguarding concerns are allocated fairly across teams.

It also said unallocated incidents, crimes or safeguarding concerns should be promptly risk assessed rather than diverted to separate inboxes within the force's crime and incident management system, and that leaders must be able to properly oversee how demand is managed across all teams.

His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Kathryn Stone OBE said:

"An accelerated cause of concern has been issued to Devon and Cornwall Police as the force is failing to provide effective leadership to manage demand, investigate crime and safeguard victims. As a result of this, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary has moved the force into Level Three of the Policing Performance System.

"During our revisit, we found that too few investigations are being carried out or supervised effectively. In some cases, the risk of serious harm to victims is not being identified and addressed for weeks.

"The force's operating model also isn't allowing it to effectively manage the pressures it faces. We found that some of the force's processes have resulted in demand becoming hidden, with cases remaining unallocated for several weeks.

"Devon and Cornwall Police will now receive additional support and it should take immediate action to address our recommendations. I will be closely monitoring its progress."

Chief Constable acknowledges 'concerning evidence'

Chief Constable James Vaughan QPM said HMICFRS had recognised progress made on safeguarding, particularly around domestic abuse risk assessments, but had identified concerning evidence in other areas.

He said: "Since our last PEEL inspection, we have been working at pace to address the issues identified by the Inspectorate. HMICFRS and the College of Policing have supported us in the development and implementation of our improvement plans, and I am grateful for the constructive and collaborative approach they have taken throughout.

"I acknowledge that when an organisation continues to struggle to grip and manage known and important issues, this ultimately does become a matter of leadership. Our workforce, and more importantly the public we serve, deserve a better service and a stronger leadership response.

"I pro-actively invited the HMICFRS to undertake revisit activity to assess our progress and while I am pleased they have recognised the progress we have made in safeguarding, they have identified concerning evidence in other areas."

"The natural consequence of the identification of these issues is that the Force is moved into a regime of closer performance scrutiny and support. The Force had very recently been placed in Level 2 and will now be in Level 3. This is not a return to 'Special Measures' but nonetheless it will mean increased scrutiny. Crucially it also means access to additional support, expertise and resources from the College of Policing and I welcome this wholeheartedly as a positive step in helping us to improve our services across the whole force area.

“I have obviously personally reflected very carefully on this feedback. The Police and Crime Commissioner continues to express her confidence in me and whilst I have that confidence, I remain fully committed to leading this force into the strong position where is needs to be.”

"I have also invited the Police and Crime Commissioner to go above and beyond her legal powers to help develop a quality assurance team and I am already taking immediate action to address the concerns and put in place the recommendations the HMIC have made."

"I will continue to review and reshape the wider leadership team to ensure we have the capability, capacity and focus required to drive improvement and deliver sustainable change.

"It is also important to recognise several areas where Force performance continues to improve. Our crime levels are stabilising, and we have had a second consecutive year of declining anti-social behaviour. We also have one of the lowest burglary rates in England and Wales and, working with partners, have achieved a three-year reduction in people killed or seriously injured on the region's roads, bucking a national upward trend.

"Investigative outcomes (solved crime) have increased steadily, remaining above the national average since April 2026 reaching 16.9 per cent during August and has exceeded 20 per cent during September to date.

"I recognise that the findings from HMICFRS are very serious and we must address them at pace. I will work tirelessly with my leadership team to support our brilliant officers, staff and volunteers to deliver the safe, timely and quality service the public rightly expect."

Commissioner says she retains confidence in Chief Constable

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the issues raised by HMICFRS were not a surprise and reflected concerns she had already been raising.

She said a scrutiny report from her office in July had recommended the force improve its understanding of how quickly it responds to reports involving vulnerable people at risk.

Commissioner Hernandez said:

"These issues, while clearly concerning, come as no surprise and in fact reflect those I have been raising through my ongoing scrutiny for some time. As recently as July, a scrutiny report by my office made recommendations which included improving the force's understanding of how quickly it is responding to reports involving vulnerable people at risk.

"The Inspectorate's announcement raises further serious questions about the ability of the force's strategic leadership to address these concerns. Therefore, the escalation to Level Three is a positive intervention that will give Chief Constable James Vaughan the support and resources he will need to lead further improvements to the service being provided to the public.

"I have spoken with the Chief Inspector of HMICRFS who shares my confidence that Mr Vaughan has the skills, experience and values to make the required change.

"I welcome the Chief Constable's offer to support him with additional, enhanced scrutiny which goes above and beyond my legal powers.

"In my 10 years as a Police and Crime Commissioner, it has been a constant source of frustration that me and my fellow representatives do not automatically have the right to be as intrusive as I believe is necessary."

What Level Three means

According to HMICFRS, Level Three applies where a force has a single, critical and lasting issue, widespread or systemic performance concerns, or has failed to demonstrate meaningful improvement.

Forces at this level receive targeted support and intervention, with chief constables required to develop improvement plans, the inspectorate said.

HMICFRS said it would continue to monitor the force's progress.

What response has the report had?

Exeter MP Steve Race said: "“Victims of crime in Devon and Cornwall deserve a police system that works and that they can trust. I am deeply concerned that our police force is still not moving in the right direction after years of underperformance - in fact, it is going backwards. Many officers on the frontline do a very good job in very demanding circumstances, and they need to have trust in their leadership too. I will be meeting the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner to understand what they are doing to get a grip of the problems, and to offer any support I can.”

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