PCC to wait on investigation into police chief

Will Kerr has denied the allegations of sexual offences in Northern Ireland

The police and crime commissioner for Devon and Cornwall says she's expecting an update on a criminal investigation into the force's chief constable in "the next month or so".

Will Kerr was suspended in July 2023 after an investigation was opened into "serious allegations of sexual offences” in Northern Ireland, which he denies.

Alison Hernandez said she had hoped to receive an update from the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI) in September, but had now been told "they will get back to me in October or in a couple of months".

Speaking on the investigation following Friday's meeting of the Police and Crime Panel, Ms Hernandez said: "My timescale is that I will wait until the public prosecution service has decided whether there is a criminal charge or not."

'Still waiting'

She added: "If there is a criminal charge I may well not want to wait it out but if there is not a criminal charge I would be interested to what the misconduct element looks like and how long that may take."

Ms Hernandez said she had written to the PPSNI and "I'm still waiting and I'm putting pressure on for a decision to be made because it's not just affecting an individual's life but the whole police force."

In her attempt to move the investigation on, Ms Hernandez also said she had asked the chief inspector of His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Police Services to write to the PPSNI.

"I really am now hopeful that it should be in the next month or so that I get an answer and that helps me make a decision about what I do next," she said.

The PPSNI said the file it received in May had been significantly progressed but there was no specific timescale for a decision at this stage.

'Not really acceptable'

Mr Kerr remains on full pay with an annual salary of £197,000, according to the latest accounts.

Councillor Philip Hackett said the Police and Crime Panel had been told in July that it would be informed of Mr Kerr's position at the meeting on 4 October.

However in Friday's meeting the panel was instead told the date had been "pushed [forward] another couple of months".

He said: "It's basically been punted into the long grass.

"It's not really acceptable when resources are so tight."