Policing in Devon and Cornwall is as challenging as anywhere else in the country, particularly as we are one of the UK’s top tourist destinations
To give you an idea of scale, our Force is the largest for any police service in England, and the 4th largest in the UK. Devon has the longest road network in the UK at over 8,000 miles and Cornwall has the longest coastline, at 675 miles (Devon has the third longest, with 509 miles). That’s quite a patch to cover and shows what a unique area this is to work in.
As well as a huge rural beat, we also have many urban areas to police. Exeter and Plymouth are major cities and large towns like Penzance, Torquay, Barnstaple, St Austell, Exmouth & Truro have their own character and issues. The Isles of Scilly are also part of our Force area and as a group of small islands 80 miles from the mainland they have their own distinct feel.
To give some impression of the scale of the area, police headquarters in Exeter is actually nearer to London than the furthest extremity of the Force.
Police Officers
Staff & Volunteers
Population
(Million)
Total Force Area
(Square Miles)
We play a big part in County Lines investigations and have specialist teams that you’ll be familiar with from your own Force, like the ARV team and dog handlers. We also have a very active drone unit and rural policing teams.
The Force area is divided into four Basic Command Units, under a Chief Superintendent:
- Cornwall & Isles of Scilly (CIOS)
- Plymouth
- South Devon
- North, East & West Devon (NEW)
- Force headquarters is at HQ Middlemoor, in Exeter.