A POLICE boss who is retiring after 30 years service has said he is proud of what he and his colleagues have achieved.
Superintendent Toby Davies is retiring from policing with his successor’s identity announced.
The officer, who has been policing commander for the north and west Devon region for the last nine years, says he is leaving Devon and Cornwall Police with many happy memories and that joining the Force is the best decision he ever made.
Supt Davies says he loves the north and west Devon area and has worked in various neighbourhood and local policing roles in the region from sergeant to chief inspector. In 2012 he was promoted to the role of Criminal Justice and Custody Commander for Devon and Cornwall Police and helped establish the Victim Care Unit.
Last autumn Supt Davies received a national Excellence in Policing award from the Police Superintendents Association.
He was also invited to a retirement meeting recently with Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable James Vaughan who presented him with a certificate to mark his 30 year career.
In his spare time he likes to raise money for charity and has taken part in various events to raise vital funds. Last summer he took part in a 15 peaks challenge in Wales alongside colleagues, raising around £6,000 for North Devon Hospice and the National Foundation of Retired Service Animals.
He continued: “I will leave with fond memories of policing. I love the adrenaline, the uncertainty, the variety and back in the day I loved chasing the cars and the criminals. I do strangely get a buzz in dealing with risk, for example when dealing with public order and firearms command incidents.
“Most of all I love the people I have come into contact with and, in my experience, you meet some of the nicest and most compassionate people through policing - who are just doing their very best to help others. Policing is not easy but despite some of the challenges, in North and West Devon it does feel different.
“What makes north and west Devon special? There is a real ‘one team’ ethic and desire from everyone to do the best they can for our local area, that we are all part of. That’s not just from the police but from all our partner agencies and the community itself. We may be small but as an area we punch way above our weight. It is the people and support we get from our communities that ensures we always outperform as an area and will continue to do so.
He added: “We do have our challenges like any other area, but we have one of the lowest crime rates in the country and, of that crime, one of the best outcome detection rates in the South West region. I leave with many happy memories – policing is a tough job and I wish my colleagues the very best for the future.”