POLICE FORCE ACCUSED OF VIOLENT SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND COVER-UPS INVOLVING INJURIES TO CHILDREN REMAINS EFFECTIVELY ON PROBATION WITH WORK TO DO ON RAPE OFFENCES
Under recommendations of the HM Inspectorate, the UK Government placed Devon and Cornwall Police under Special Measures October 2022 over concerns about ‘Crime Data Integrity’, ‘Call Handling’ and ‘Management of Sexual and Violent Offenders’. Subsequent investigations reveal reports of violent sexual offences committed by officers stemming back 14 years and police cover-ups of injuries to children. As of December 2024 the force remains under 'Special Measures'.
This article summaries the state of Devon & Cornwall police. It is intended to form a series of short summaries concerning the state of Britain’s police force in general. This is in response to repeated enquiries we have received regarding police conduct at large. It is not intended to mimic or challenge the findings of the HM Inspectorate and we have included links to their findings for further reading.
SUMMARY
REASON: | Devon and Cornwall Police have been placed under Special Measures pursuant to HM Inspectorate Stated concerns over 'Crime Data Integrity', 'Call Handling' and 'Management of sexual and violent offenders'.
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LATEST: | 30/09/2024 - The acting Police Chief Constable is frustrated that his force is not yet out of Special Measure status. Source. This is despite HM Inspectorate finding that police handling of rape and sexual violent offences had deteriorated even further.
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PROCESS: | The police inspectorate, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), escalated the force to the ‘Engage’ program.
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NEXT STEPS: | The force will present its progress against HMICFRS concern and recommendations at the Police Performance and Oversight Group (PPOG)
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GOAL: | HMICFRS will release Devon & Cornwall Police from Engage Status, when they are satisfied sustained improvements have been made i.e. they remain on probation until we’re satisfied they’ll stop offending. |
EXPLAINER - WHAT IS ENGAGE?
For over 160 years, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has independently inspected and reported on the efficiency and effectiveness of police forces throughout England & Wales, Northern Ireland together with British Overseas Territories, Crown Dependencies and on certain occasions, at the invitation of foreign governments. What this means is they are the police watchdog outside of Scotland.
‘Engage’ is a program that is triggered when the Police fail to uphold set standards. That means they are braking the law and need to be put under supervision to prevent anymore offending behaviour. In the case of Devon and Cornwall Police whom are the focus of this article, the stated reasons were:
The police were failing to record crimes against vulnerable victims, particularly violent or behavioural crimes together with anti-social behaviour.
The police were failing to manage violent sexual offenders leading to increased risk.
The police were not responding to emergency calls in addition to non-emergency calls.
WHAT WAS ACTUALLY GOING ON?
On 12/02/2024 the Guardian newspaper exclusively reported that police officers accused of subjecting 7 women to abuse including rapes, beatings and psychological torment were protected by their force. Even worse, the police had assigned 2 of the assaulting officers to their victims ‘protection’ and this in turn had led to violent assaults against children. In summary the Guardian reported:
One of the male raping officers had been promoted twice after the police received numerous allegations of violent sexual conduct over a 14-year period.
The male raping police officer was also appointed the head of the police efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.
Another alleged male raping officer was appointed to a sexual offences and domestic violence team.
A female police officer involved whom waived anonymity Pala Kressinger 57 stated: “it was a definite cover-up.”
Male officers would frequently brag to their female counterparts they had the power to make things ‘go away’.
During the assaults on their victims, the police had injured children. Their colleagues subsequently ‘botched’ these investigations despite the victims being literal, babies.
There was further violent acts carried out against teenage minor whom was understood to be an associate of the victims.
Shockingly, the solicitor representing the injured women Debaleena Dagupta from the Centre for Women’s Justice stated that this was the first time a force was being sued for the systematic failing of women attacked by its own officers.
CURRENT STATUS - SEXUAL AND VIOLENT ASSAULTS DETERIORATED FURTHER
Despite essentially being on probation since 2022 (insofar as it is the police force that now has to be supervised by the community for their offensive behaviour), as of December 2024 only 1 of the aforementioned concerns only the call handling which was officially resolved 27/09/2024.
As of September 2024 the HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary summarised the current state of play as,
“The force still needs to improve how it responds to rape offences and antisocial behaviour … it needs to make sure it carries out effective investigations that lead to satisfactory results.”
What this means is essentially that the police force needs to stop committing violent sexual offences, ignoring the complaints and then attempting to cover them up while arresting and charging others.
CHRONOLOGY
Sept 2024 | The HM Inspectorate keeps the police under Special Measures for continued failings. |
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Jul 2024: | The HM Inspectorate finds policing standard for Rape and Violent Offenders deteriorated again requiring special measures. |
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Jan 2024: | The HM Inspectorate saw some improvement in address Rape and Violent Offenders however and as above; |
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Feb 2023: | The HM inspectorate urged further action as the police continued to deteriorate in several areas. At that time, the Inspectorate found: The police force inadequate in 3/9 areas specifically: (1) crime data integrity, (2) responding to the public and (3) managing offenders and suspects. The police for required improvement in 2/9 areas specifically: (1) investigating crime and (2) operating efficiently. |
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Oct 2022: | Devon & Cornwall Police were moved into an enhanced level of monitoring by the Police Inspectorate. |
STATE OF THE POLICE IN GENERAL
As of 2019 we have had to place 10 separate police forces following the HM Inspectorates recommendations. The current status is as follows:
1. | Devon & Cornwall Police | Under Special Measures since October 2022. |
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2. | Lincolnshire Police: | Under Special Measures since December 2024. (This police force became famous for ‘hating on cows’ although that wasn’t what they were put on Special Measures for. Source LincolnshireLive). |
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3. | Metropolitan Police Service: | Under Special Measures since 2022 (Just DM directly for stories on this lot). |
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4. | Nottinghamshire Police: | Under Special Measures since March 2024 (You will recall several police officers whom surrounded a completely disabled man, beat him senseless with weapons and then cried they were the victims under the Emergency Workers Act. Source NottinghamshireLive). |
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5. | Cleveland Police | Special Measures 2019 - 2023 |
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6. | Gloucestershire Constabulary: | Special Measures 2021 - 2023 |
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7. | Greater Manchester Police: | Special Measure 2020 - 2022 |
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8 | Staffordshire Police: | Special Measure 2022 - 2024 |
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9. | West Midlands Police: | Special Measure 2023 - 2024 |
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10. | Wiltshire Police: | Special Measure 2022 - 2024 |
Please note, we have only looked at England & Wales being the legal jurisdiction that we operate in.
READING
This article was compiled from data derived from the following sources:
HM Inspectorate website: accessed here.
BBC Article: Police Boss 'frustrated' by Special Measure status.
Guardian Article: Devon and Cornwall Police Allegedly protected officers accused of abusing seven women.
PlymouthLive: Watchdog orders Devon and Cornwall police to improve and concerns raised.
NottinghamshireLive: The real story behind the viral clip of Carlton man repeated hit by police.
COMMENT
It would be inappropriate for us to comment on the criminal process at this stage as we are no currently offering criminal defence services. However, we expect that to change 2025/26. That being said, it is our personal experience from dealing with Devon & Cornwall police particularly from 2022 – 2023 that they are absolutely excellent:
When my elderly clients were being harassed by a fraudster whom having stolen the couples life savings threatened to make a forced entry into their property and was having people stand outside the property to intimidate, the police acted immediately. They gave him a formal warning which prevented the coward from carrying out his threats of violence against his elderly victims.
Thereafter, the police provided security cameras for the couples protection free of charge together with victim support and emergency direct contacts.
And when we had to personally defend our elderly clients in court, the police promptly dismissed the assailant complaint that we bruised his (a life long builder) pretty little arms.
We can only say that the officers we have dealt with at Devon and Cornwall Police were a genuine credit to us all. Should the HM Inspectorates findings be accurate and they have indeed been operating in some Divine Inferno as pictured by Dante, then the honest officers together with their victims deserve more than droll choreographed statements designed to bore the public into disinterest.
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