New Chief Constable Announced

A new Chief Constable has been selected for Devon and Cornwall. He's the current deputy, Shaun Sawyer, who's been Acting Chief for the past six months.

He'll be responsible for overseeing the biggest cuts in the force's history.

Recently many of his officers have been complaining about pay, pensions and their workload.

John Andrews reports:

Shaun Sawyer has been proposed as the new Chief Constable for Devon and Cornwall.

He has filled the role on a temporary basis since the departure of Stephen Otter in March. The post is now subject to a confirmation hearing by the Police and Crime panel in early February.

There were five applicants for the post, and interviews took place in Exeter yesterday [Tuesday]. The selection and interview panel was led by Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg who was keen to stabilise the leadership of the Force as soon as possible. He said:

“A rigorous, transparent and very fair interview process culminated in a unanimous decision by the five strong panel.

Shaun Sawyer impressed us tremendously with his clear vision for the future of policing in this area, and I’m very much looking forward to working closely with him.”

Shaun began his police career in 1986 as a uniformed officer in London. More recently he was the Metropolitan Police lead for covert operations and intelligence and the lead for violent crime and geographic policing in South West London.

In 2008, Shaun was appointed as Head of Counter terrorism within Scotland Yard. He joined the Devon and Cornwall force as Deputy Chief Constable in April 2010.