Devon & Cornwall Police

for information and latest news go to: www.devon-cornwall.police.uk
Sidmouth Road, Middlemoor, Exeter EX2 7HQ      |     01392 420320
Hontion Rural - Local Policing Team   (Feb 2024)

Honiton Police Enquiry Office – Honiton Police Station
167 High Street, Honiton EX14 1LQ

Monday - Saturday 10am - 3pm
Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays

Insp Phil Gray (15764)
Sgt. Jaz Trudgeon (17615) 
Sgt. Vicki Follett
PC Katrina Catton
PCSO Darren England (30017)  
Email: [email protected]
Please note that when attending to ensure effort is made to arrive approximately one hour prior to closing time to allow your enquiry to be dealt with.     
Police Newsletters
Devon & Cornwall Police
Informative Documents

​Countryside Code
Livestock Road Safety
Livestock Worrying
Livestock Dog Worrying
Honiton & Illfracombe Police Enquiry Offices Open – 5th February 2024
Non Urgent Police Contact Number

Devon and Cornwall Police have introduced some time-saving and convenient options for contacting them for non-urgent matters. At times of high demand, which can vary day-to-day, our non-urgent call handlers are diverted onto the 999 lines.

​This can cause the 101 call-waiting time to increase. Demand also increases by around 35% in the summer months.
We know many people today carry out lots of activities online that were previously done on the phone. Devon and Cornwall Police recognise some people don’t necessarily need to speak to someone. These new additional services are with those people in mind. This will also have the added benefit of freeing-up some capacity in the 101 number for those who don’t have internet access or who do need to speak to someone.

Crime Prevention Advice
www.police.uk
It’s vital to leave your home secure whenever you leave it.  Getting into an ‘exit routine’ can help ensure that you don’t forget obvious, important things, like not leaving your valuables near windows, or no lights on if it will be dark before you get home.

​Become a creature of habit.
Also on www.police.uk you will find information on the following:

‘Ways to secure your home’
‘Reduce the risk of your home being burgled’
‘Other Home Security tips’  (includes how to keep burglars out of your property by keeping it visible rather than hidden behind overgrown bushes, trees, high fences or walls)
‘Other ways to make it difficult for burglars’  (includes information about CCTV, Alarms and Lighting)
‘Distraction burglary’  (includes common methods used by distraction burglars and how to prevent it)

Robbery Markings

Burglars usually scout an area to determine which residences are potentially the best targets. In most cases planned burglaries will have had the house watched for a few days to learn who lives there, their daily schedules, whether they have up-to-date home security systems, and whether there is anything of value within the property.

Over the years there has been speculation that some burglars leave chalk marks or other identifying objects as a ‘code’ to determine who lives in the house and whether it is worth targeting. Images of ‘burglar signals’ can be found on-line but be wary of confusing possible ‘robbery markings’ with legitimate road markings made by Highway, Utility or Broadband workers.
Devon and Cornwall Alert is an on-line two way community messaging system operated by Devon and Cornwall Police. It informs residents about what is happening in their area and allows them to respond directly with any information they may have.
You can find further information and sign up by going to the Alert website noted above.
Alert subscribers receive regular newsletters from Neighbourhood Watch and the Police & Crime Commissioner. Subscribers are also asked for help in locating missing persons and identifying criminals caught on CCTV.
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If you wish to find out more information and/or register with Devon and Cornwall ALERT go to: www.dcalert.co.uk

​Police & Crime Commissioner

Alison Hernandez Police and Crime Commissioner
On 2nd May 2024 Alison Hernandez was returned as Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

On the www.devonandcornwall-pcc.gov.uk website she writes:

My Priorities For A New Term Of Office

“A little over a week ago I was honoured to be returned as Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. 

The proceeding weeks had been spent working hard on the priorities which I set, with the input from our communities, three years ago when I developed my second police and crime plan – a strategic document which gives the force and partners a sense of direction.

In my spare time I travelled the length and breadth of our police force area, speaking to hundreds of residents of rural, coastal and urban areas which make up our wonderful corner of England. 

When out campaigning for this post for the first time in 2016 people told me there were simply not enough police officers in the force, that contact with officers was rare or fleeting and they did not understand why front desks had been closed in their communities.  Reoffending was rife, with prisoners leaving jail with little prospect of housing or work. 

I have, with the help of central Government funding and investment through the police precept on our council tax bills increased police numbers to a record 3,610. I revamped and reopened 13 front desks (with another five to come this year). And I worked with partners to create the innovative Prisoners Building Homes programme, which trains ex-offenders in construction skills and provides much-needed housing stock for local authorities. 

Much of this work would not have been possible without additional financial support from our residents, through the police precept, which I set. 

Although I have made progress in the eight years in total I have been in post, it is evident that so much more remains to be done. 

The budget might have been created for 686 new police officers in Devon and Cornwall but our communities have yet to feel this investment. This is partly because not all have completed their training yet, but it is also because officers’ time is sucked up by training and extractions. 

Our residents are increasingly fed up with seeing drugs on our streets. From Camborne to Torquay, they complain about unacceptable levels of lawlessness, intimidation and harassment. 

I need to ensure that those officers we have spent so much public money on recruiting are visible, accessible and reassuring. Policing is, and should be, a tough job, when they robustly deal with the issues which matter most to people they will have my full backing. 

I will also spend this term working with partners to ensure that ex-offenders who want to put their lives of crime behind them have all the support they need to get their lives back on track. This could be help to get off drugs or kick alcoholism. They might need housing or training and investing a little time and money in this area will be helpful. 

The other significant job in my in tray is to ensure the force has a substantive Chief Constable to lead the force to success.  

In summary, much has been achieved but I remain steadfastly committed to securing the lowest crime rate in the country and delivering a high performing police force for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.” 

Go to the Police and Crime Commissioner website for up-to-date news on the work of the PCC, the Victim Services Directory, the OPCC Calendar and the Police and Crime Plan.