Devon and Cornwall PCC Alison Hernandez re-elected

Alison Hernandez has been elected for the third time as Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner

Alison Hernandez has been re-elected as Devon and Cornwall's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).

The Conservative candidate won the election which was held on Thursday.

She had 131,764 votes, which gave her a majority of 23,867 over Daniel Steel (Labour and Co-operative) who received 107,897 votes. Steve Lodge (Liberal Democrat) received 64,790 votes.

Ms Hernandez's victory will give her a third consecutive term as the region's PCC, having first taken office in 2016 and being re-elected in 2021.

Ms Hernandez received the most votes in 10 out of the 12 local authority areas covered by Devon and Cornwall Police.

Mr Steel topped the vote in Plymouth and Exeter.

Turnout for the election was 22.5%, down from 36.1 at the previous vote in 2021.

Following her victory, Ms Hernandez was sworn back into the role she has held for eight years by the police area returning officer Tracey Lee.

Labour and Co-operative Daniel Steel (left) came second in the vote while Steve Lodge of the Liberal Democrats came third

Speaking to the BBC after her victory, Ms Hernandez admitted she had been worried after elections elsewhere in Britain showed Labour performing strongly.

She added she is "really delighted" to have been re-elected.

"It shows if you focus on the things that matter to people, they do notice and they do support you to carry on, so I'm absolutely delighted and I can't thank people enough for turning out to vote," she said.

Chief Constable update 'soon'

Ms Hernandez said an update surrounding the future of Chief Constable Will Kerr, who was suspended in July 2023 over misconduct claims, was "imminent".

A separate criminal investigation is under way over serious allegations of sexual offences in Nothern Ireland.

He strenuously denies the allegations which are being investigated by the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

It said the investigation was ongoing and it did not have a timeframe for its completion.

Addressing the matter, Ms Hernandez said she expected a "couple of month's wait" on the outcome of the investigation.

"We might get some news about that imminently and that will inform my decision about what happens next," she said.

Alison Hernandez ended up with a majority of 23,867 in the election

She said she wanted to continue working to resolve issues around the force being in special measures and low morale among officers.

"I think the biggest thing is we want to make sure our communities are as law-abiding as possible and we take away those people who are causing issues for our police officers to deal with," she said.

"It is all about preventing crime and supporting police officers, making sure they've got the right tools for the job and making sure there's enough of them."

Acting Chief Constable Jim Colwell offered his congratulations to Ms Hernandez after the result.

"We look forward to continuing our productive working relation with Ms Hernandez as we continue to deliver on her pledges in the Police and Crime Plan and work together to keep the communities of Devon and Cornwall safe," he said.