New Devon commander appointed

Devon and Cornwall Police has appointed Chief Superintendent Jim Colwell to lead frontline policing across the whole of Devon.

Rising from a bobby on the beat across Plymouth in 2001 to a member of the Force’s senior leaders, C Supt Colwell aims to sustain the professional standard of policing service across the county, as well as collaborate with partner agencies to assist community policing across the county.

C Supt Colwell joined the Force at a tender age of 27 after graduating from Leicester University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and Sociology and a post-graduate Diploma in Security and Risk Management.

With extensive experience as a senior detective and one of the Force’s key investigating officers, he has a meticulous eye for detail and is proactive in driving a high quality policing service to the communities of Devon.

He is known for his thorough investigative skills and for leading investigations into high profile cases such as a fatal speedboat incident in Padstow, as well as co-ordinating the initial response to numerous major incidents including homicides and kidnaps across the Force. He has also specialised in leading the south west region in responding to modern slavery and human trafficking.

C Supt Colwell is supported by a senior team of five superintendents who span across the county. He has 1200 police officers, 180 PCSOs, 200 support staff and over 200 Special Constables within his remit.

He was born in Manchester but spent his early childhood in West Africa, before returning to the UK at the age of eight years. He has a passion for running and football and has travelled extensively throughout the Caribbean, including negotiating the Panama Canal numerous times having worked on cruise ships in his youth. In his spare time he enjoys coaching youth football and chasing after his two young sons.

“My aim for the policing area of Devon is to continue to work effectively with our partners to ensure that the area is the safe, happy, healthy and vibrant county we all want to live and work in. My priorities are to build on the effective work already undertaken to improve community engagement, and embed the importance of ethical, value based behaviour in everything we do. I will also ensure that we adapt and flex in a way that enables us to cope with future demands”.