Suspended ex-police chief given £165k settlement

Will Kerr retired in July, saying it was "in the best interests of my family and the force"

Former Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable Will Kerr has been given a settlement of more than £160,000, the police commissioner has confirmed.

Mr Kerr was suspended in July 2023 after an investigation was launched into claims against him relating to his time with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

A decision not to prosecute was made after Northern Ireland's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said in April, after careful consideration, the evidence was "insufficient" to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction.

Mr Kerr, who retired in July this year, has been given a settlement of £165,539, Devon and Cornwall's police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez said.

Alison Hernandez said the settlement had resolved uncertainty in the police force

The allegations which had led to Mr Kerr's suspension related to sexual offending and misconduct in office during his work with PSNI.

Hernandez said Mr Kerr was suspended on full pay from July 2023 as per the requirements of police regulations while investigations into his conduct continued.

She said had he not retired, he would have continued to receive his usual monthly wage, because an investigation into gross misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), not linked to the criminal allegations in Northern Ireland, remained ongoing, with no certainty as to when it would conclude.

His contract was due to run until December 2027, meaning taxpayers could have been funding the salary of a suspended chief constable for 29 months - had a settlement not been reached, she added.

'Uncertainty resolved'

"With no certainty on the length of the IOPC investigation the reality we were facing was significant additional costs to taxpayers and continued leadership instability," said Hernandez.

"By reaching a financial settlement, that uncertainty has now been resolved and efforts can now be fully focused on delivering a stable and effective police force."

The commissioner said she remained "incredibly frustrated" by the length of time the ongoing investigation was taking.

Ms Hernandez said interim chief constable James Vaughan had agreed to remain in post until January 2027, bringing stability to the force, which would not have been possible had Mr Kerr remained suspended.