Major plan underway to strengthen policing across Devon and Cornwall

A significant shift of police officers into frontline roles has been hailed as a vital step in strengthening community policing across Devon and Cornwall. Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has welcomed confirmation that 121 officers will be redeployed or recruited into frontline posts as part of a major operational overhaul.

According to Chief Constable James Vaughan, 71 officers will be in place with existing patrol teams by the end of this year, with a further 50 officers expected to join by March 2026. The move marks one of the largest recent efforts by the force to bolster visible, community-focused policing.

The uplift is being achieved through a combination of:

• Redeploying experienced officers

• Transferring officers from other police forces

• Recruiting new officers

In addition, neighbourhood policing teams will be strengthened through the recruitment of 50 new neighbourhood police officers and 50 new Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), supporting the national drive to rebuild local policing presence.

Chief Constable Vaughan said:
“Since I became Chief Constable, I have been committed to building the numbers of officers working in frontline roles across Devon and Cornwall to help the Police and Crime Commissioner deliver her Police and Crime Plan objectives, and build our neighbourhood policing capacity as part of the government’s aim to increase community focused policing.
“That is now being achieved through the reviews and changes that have, at times, been difficult but necessary to improve frontline resilience. However, it is vital that we don’t stand still.
“We know that once we have stabilised our patrol numbers we will need to continue to maintain our frontline strength across the force. Therefore, we are doing additional work that will help us to ensure that our resources are in the right place both now and in the future.
“We will be continuing to look for recruits over the coming months, particularly to the roles of police officers and PCSOs, and I would encourage anyone who would like to help us keep our beautiful counties safe to come forward and join us.”

Commissioner Hernandez, who has consistently pushed for more visible, local policing, welcomed the move.

She said: “The one thing people repeatedly tell me is that they want to see more police on our streets to make them feel safer and deter crimes from taking place.
“I am delighted that the force’s plans to strengthen frontline policing are now coming to fruition under the leadership of the Chief Constable.
“I will continue to monitor how the force maintains policing numbers, particularly foot patrols in our communities.”

The redeployment comes as police forces nationwide continue to prioritise neighbourhood engagement and visible patrols following the government’s post-uplift focus on rebuilding public confidence through community policing.

For more information on current vacancies, visit: https://dcpanddp-jobs.tal.net/