Chief constable received £165,000 golden handshake

But it would have cost more for him to stay

Devon and Cornwall’s former chief constable was sent off with a £165,539 “golden handshake” following his decision to retire –  the equivalent of nine months of his annual salary. 

It means that Mr Kerr has been paid more than half a million pounds by the police since he was first suspended in July 2023  over “allegations of serious sexual offences” which he has always strenuously denied.

Mr Kerr has not been arrested or charged with any offence, but announced in July this year he had chosen to retire stating it was in the “best interests” of his family and the force. 

He received his full salary of around £197,000 during his suspension.

Announcing the details of the financial settlement today (Friday), Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner Alison Hernandez said had Mr Kerr not retired, he would have continued to receive his usual monthly wage because an investigation into gross misconduct by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing with no certainty when it will conclude. 

Mr Kerr was suspended by the police and crime commissioner following a mandatory referral to the IOPC. 

His contract was due to run until December 2027, meaning taxpayers could have been funding the salary of a suspended chief constable for 29 months had a settlement not been reached.  

Commissioner Hernandez has since announced that Interim chief constable James Vaughan has agreed to remain in post until January 2027, “bringing stability to Devon & Cornwall Police which would not have been possible had Mr Kerr remained suspended”. 

She said: “Mr Kerr was suspended on full pay from July 2023 as per the requirements of police regulations while investigations into his conduct continued. 

“With no certainty on the length of the IOPC investigation the reality we were facing was significant additional costs to taxpayers and continued leadership instability.

“By reaching a financial settlement, that uncertainty has now been resolved and efforts can now be fully focused on delivering a stable and effective police force.” 

The commissioner said she remained “incredibly frustrated” by the length of time the ongoing investigation was taking.

At a meeting of the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Panel two months ago members had pressed the commissioner for details on a possible “golden handshake” for the former chief constable as they said the public deserved to know how much it had cost the taxpayers.

During Mr Kerr’s suspension, the officer acting for him, Jim Colwell, was also suspended for a number of months for alleged “professional standards breaches”.

He has since returned to duties as deputy chief constable having been given a written warning after a hearing determined he breached the force’s “notifiable associations” policy.

Jim Vaughan, a former chief constable for Dorset, came out of retirement to take up the post of interim chief constable in December.

Earlier this year when there were effectively three chief constables in post, two of whom were suspended, the monthly cost to the taxpayer was £63,913.

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