The Deputy Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, Jim Colwell, has been found guilty of misconduct by a police disciplinary tribunal earlier this week.
The tribunal concluded that Colwell breached the force’s “notifiable associations” policy, resulting in an official written warning that will remain in place for 18 months.
A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: “He has been sanctioned with a written warning, to last for 18 months, after the misconduct tribunal found that his actions breached professional standards relating to orders and instructions and discreditable conduct.”
ACC Colwell was suspended last year following allegations that he had exchanged personal messages using his work mobile phone. However, the IOPC later ruled there was no case to answer for gross misconduct.
At the time, ACC Colwell was acting as head of the force while Chief Constable Will Kerr was suspended in July 2023 amid sexual misconduct allegations. Will Kerr was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI).
A separate IOPC investigation into misconduct allegations against Will Kerr remains ongoing, and he continues to be suspended from duty.
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