Communities

• 1.76 million resident population
• 59% of residents living in rural areas
• 6% of areas fall in the most deprived areas in England
• Incomes in Torbay and Torridge are some of the lowest in the country – with both local authorities in the ten lowest
• 24% of residents are 65+ years old (compared to national of 18%)
• Outlier nationally on mental health hospital admissions (<18yrs and self-harm)

Policing the area

• 1 million calls for service per year
• 61.0 crimes per 1,000 population per year
• 149 incidents per 1,000 population per year
• 3094 police officers in March 2020
• 49p per day per person funding compared to E&W average is 57p
• 19 of their 27 policing sectors are classified as rural
• Isolated location: only 10% of force area lies within seven miles of other forces
• Long journey times: 40 mile journey from Launceston to the nearest custody centre in Newquay which takes 50 minutes on a clear road

Map of Devon and Cornwall policing area, including Lundy and the Isles of Scilly

Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is the largest policing area in England, stretching over 4,000 square miles and five inhabited islands.

The Devon and Cornwall Peninsula encompasses over 700 miles of coastline, covers 3,961 square miles and incorporates five upper tier/unitary local authorities - Cornwall, Plymouth City, Devon County, Torbay and the Isles of Scilly – and the eight district/city councils within Devon County – East Devon, Exeter, Mid Devon, North Devon, South Hams, Teignbridge, Torridge, and West Devon.

Within this large geographical area, there is a population of 1.7 million residents living in 722,300 households. The population is generally older than the national profile with more people aged 65+ and fewer under the age of 25.

Devon and Cornwall has the highest level of tourism outside of London with an annual surge in tourism during the summer months.

Only 10% of the area is within seven miles of other police forces. The road and rail infrastructure is limited but there are a large number of ports across the area and two international airports (Exeter and Newquay). DCPCC have the largest road network of any policing area, with 13,600 miles of road, 85% of which are rural roads.

DCPCC are an area of extreme contrasts and high pockets of deprivation and vulnerability.14% of their population live in the 20% most deprived lower super-output areas in England – with 6% of those living in the 10% most deprived. Torbay is the most deprived local authority area in the south west and is the 4th lowest average income local authority area in England and Wales. Across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly 16% of children are living in poverty and 80,000 households in live in fuel poverty.

Over 70,000 students also have an impact on localised demand for services at predictable times within the academic year. The demographic is also changing with all of the universities actively increasing their international intake in recent years, and a number of private institutions attracting higher numbers of younger foreign students to the area.

Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups make up only 5% of their resident population, well below the national average of 20%.

Plymouth, Torquay and Exeter are urban centres of significant size but the remainder of the population across the Peninsula is spread between smaller urban clusters, market towns and villages. There are a large number of seaside towns that have their own unique issues.

The Isles of Scilly are a cluster of islands located off the far South West of Cornwall. Scilly has its own unique character and very few crimes are recorded on the islands each year.