AT a recent advocate meeting I had the pleasure of holding a conversation with the Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) Jim Colwell for my two-weekly column in the Mid Devon Advertiser.

I started off by asking the DCC… is it that all police forces within England must have a Chief Constable and a Deputy Chief Constable and the answer was, by law, yes.

So, what does the DCC do? After all, we are all very familiar with the Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer appearing on television, radio or in person at various times outlining the work undertaken by the force and how it is moving forward to address the concerns and aspirations of our communities and businesses.

We also see him at times of certain crisis when impacting locally, regionally and nationally alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner supporting our communities at times when they need support and stability the most.

We do not however have the same opportunity when it comes to the Deputy Chief Constable. Is his job simply supporting the Chief Constable and deputising when necessary?

Far from it, it seems, The DCC does support and deputise for the Chief Constable that is true, but the DCC is responsible for a lot more as the Chief Operating Officer for Devon and Cornwall Police and here are a few of the things which he is responsible for:

Setting the organisational and operational strategy for the force to provide an effective and efficient policing service.

Supporting and maintaining the mutually productive strategic relationship with the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Embedding the organisational culture promoting values and ethics, holding responsibility for professional standards.

Implementation of the force delivery plan ensuring performance is monitored, evaluated and he drives improvements in service delivery.

Fulfils authorising responsibilities to protect the public and ensure an effective policing response.

Leads and commands where necessary operational policing responses in the highest risk and high-profile instances.

Supports the financial management of the force driving efficiency and productivity maximising the best use of resources ensuring effective use of public spending and maximising value for money.

Develops and maintains strategic relationships with local, regional, and national partners.

The DCC also has four Assistant Chief Constables (ACCs) and three Assistant Chief Officers (ACOs) who each hold specific areas of policing and form the Executive, who lead the strategic delivery of policing supporting both the DCC and Chief Constable.

If one steps back from it and considers the vastness of our two counties including the Isles of Scilly, one can appreciate that, although it may seem on face value that we have a high proportion of top level police officers, namely CC, DCC, ACCs and ACOs once you start to breakdown the various tasks into responsibilities, it becomes apparent there is a need for this cascading of responsibilities to ensure the delivery of such a large organisation.

Let’s just imagine for one moment that we had no CC or DCC that the law did not stipulate that we had to have these, that it was up to the PCC to be responsible for everything policing.

It would be almost an impossible task for one person or department to cope, the various complex nature of the various departments alone would be incomprehensible.

Could you see how all the different sections within Devon and Cornwall police could function, like police dogs, drones, forensics, road policing, victim support, rural policing, urban policing, coastal policing and so on.

The list of the various branches could be endless and each one just as important for the safety of our communities in Devon and Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Once you do start to sit back and think about all this, you can see how the hierarchy forms an intricate part of what goes on below and how without one the other would not be able to function effectively for the safety and security of us all.

I put it to the DCC, ….do you really think that the public at large understands your role in comparison to say, that of the Chief Constable or the Assistant Chief Constables. Simply I do not think they do and why should they?

Their priority, and I understand this, is for their own safety and security and they see the police as part of a wider system to achieve that end. Within policing there is a multitude of other aspects, which many probably don’t even understand or recognise as part of policing.

It is my job, so he tells me, to ensure that all those intricate parts of the Devon and Cornwall police force work.

It is therefore my duty to ensure those below me, the ACCs, are doing their part in ensuring that the various sections below them are doing their part and so on but in the end, it is my responsibility to make sure the service works.

► Police Advocate Mike Joyce will continue his interview with the deputy chief constable in his next column when he asks where policing will be in the next five years.