Leading Devon bobby calls it a day

Deputy chief constable Netherton to retire

One of the region's top police officers is to hand in his badge, put on his slippers and ease himself into retirement.

Deputy Chief Constable Paul Netherton OBE is to retiring in May after a 30-year career including 12 years with Devon and Cornwall Police. 

Right now DCC Netherton is on secondment at the Home Office, providing support to the national effort to tackle the covid crisis and previously working on policing preparations for Brexit.

He started at Middlemoor, headquarters of the region's police service, in 2008 and became deputy chief constable in 2017. He is the National Police Chiefs Council lead for Civil Contingencies, responding to national emergencies and regularly attending the government’s Cobra meetings.

He also works with the Met Office and the University of Exeter around climate change and chairs the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Chief constable Shaun Sawyer said: “I would like to offer my enduring thanks and very best wishes to a colleague who has contributed so much to the communities he serves here within the peninsula but also his achievements nationally and internationally.

“Paul has achieved so much within his career but also in his voluntary contributions, such as the Christian Police Association. He leaves so many individual legacies and friendships within the force that his mark upon it will last for many decades to come.”

DCC Netherton has vast experience in operational policing and has led regionally and nationally on a range of issues including firearms, counter terrorism, public order policing, contingency planning and managing major events and incidents.

He has been responsible for managing the transformational change programme for the police across Devon and Cornwall and Dorset police forces. He has also dealt with numerous major events and incidents including major urban disorder, football matches, the Rugby World Cup and the start of the Olympic Torch relay from Land's End in 2012.

He is president of the national Christian Police Association (CPA) and works closely with street pastors and other faith organisations supporting the police. He is also chair of the Police Sport UK Snow Sports Section which allows him to get away at least once a year - at least in normal time - to compete in the events in Austria.

DCC Netherton said: “I have been incredibly proud to have spent over thirty years in the police service working alongside some amazing and incredibly dedicated people.

"Devon and Cornwall is one of the best police forces in the world and, despite the challenges we face, continues to deliver an excellent service with local community focused policing at its heart and I have many happy memories of policing the two counties and the Isles of Scilly.

“I have also been really proud to be the President of the Christian Police Association working with faith groups and Christian police officers across the country to build long term partnerships and solutions to some of society's biggest issues.

“However, it is in my role as police lead for civil contingencies that I feel I leave a legacy having dealt with some challenging incidents from floods, to fires and terrorism, disorder and of course Covid to finish on.

“I will miss work colleagues both in the police, in partner agencies and across the communities of Devon and Cornwall. Although leaving the police I will continue to work in the world of civil contingencies, risk management and major incident command but I will also take time to do a bit more sailing and skiing than I have managed over the past few years.”