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The acting Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall Police is being investigated for potential gross misconduct after the Police and Crime Commissioner made a referral to the police watchdog earlier this week.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation relates to acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell’s use of a work issue mobile phone ‘to exchange messages of a personal nature without a policing purpose’
The notice served on the chief also relates to, said the IOPC, ‘his alleged conduct concerning a force disciplinary matter.’
The IOPC says that the investigation is in its early stages and confirmed that Mr Colwell is subject to investigation and ‘does not necessarily mean that any proceedings will follow.’
Alison Hernandez, the PCC, said that she will announce interim leadership arrangements in due course. She added: “A/CC Colwell has seven days to make representations to me relating to his suspension.”
The substantive Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall Police, Will Kerr, was suspended in 2023 and was under investigation by the IOPC until January 2024 when the watchdog said its investigation had been halted “pending the criminal investigation being carried out by the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.”
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