'Pride' as police force moved out of special measures

Chief Constable James Vaughan attributed the improvement to an increase in police numbers and "strong leadership"

Devon and Cornwall's most senior police officer said he was "proud as punch" that the force had been removed from special measures after nearly three years.

Chief Constable James Vaughan attributed the improvement to an increase in police numbers and "strong leadership".

The force was downgraded into special measures in 2022 due to "very serious concerns" about emergency call response times, crime recording, and management of violent and registered sex offenders.

Celebrating the force's upgrade, Mr Vaughan said: "I'm hoping people will be proud of their police force and come to us when they need their help."

The force is answering 999 calls faster and making it easier to report antisocial behaviour, he said.

Mr Vaughan added that investigation standards were "improving, [but] not where we need them to be".

"Many of the same people that were here when we went into special measures are still here and they're the people that have worked really hard to take us out," Mr Vaughan said.

He acknowledged the last few years had been a difficult period, adding: "There's only so many times you can tell your teams they're not good enough."

A review is under way into how the force deals with stalking offences following the murder of Claire Chick

Mr Vaughan also said he had commissioned a review of all the force's live stalking investigations, following the murder of Claire Chick in January.

Ms Chick was a university lecturer from Plymouth who was stabbed by an ex-partner.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is currently investigating the force's "prior interaction" with her before the killing.

Mr Vaughan said the IOPC's review made some "clear recommendations" to improve weaknesses in how the force handled stalking, which had now been implemented.

He said there had been 3,300 stalking offences recorded in the two counties in the last 12 months.

Mr Vaughan took on the role on an initial year-long contract but said he was "not in a hurry to leave".

"The force needs stability. We have a strong team here and I'll stay as long as I'm needed," he added.

Sir Andy Cooke, Ch Insp of Constabulary, said the force had made "good progress" and would now return to routine monitoring.