The Devon and Cornwall Police Constabulary and the Westminster Government make no attempt to disguise the fact that the police in Cornwall are a colonial force.
All the police forces in the other Celtic countries (with the exception of Breizh/Brittany of course) have some distinct aspect to their uniform and equipment that set them apart from the English police forces. In Cornwall though there is no such distinction made and the Government, with the full backing of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, have made very effort to ensure that people in Cornwall know they are second best.
Why else did the Devon and Exeter Police merge with the Cornwall County Constabulary and have been trying ever since to move all centres of police importance out of Cornwall to Devon, where their Headquarters stand today? Why else does the word ‘Devon’ come first, in Devon and Cornwall Constabulary/Federation/Authority etc., even though ‘Cornwall’ is first alphabetically? Why else isn’t there any mention of the Cornish language on any of the Devon and Cornwall Police websites, police uniforms or equipment, even though the language has now been recognised ‘officially’ by the Government? How do the Devon and Cornwall police ever show that their Constabulary is committed to Cornish culture and identity?
The only obvious explanation is that Devon and Cornwall Police are a colonial force and are quite happy to maintain that staus. What Cornwall needs is its own police force like in Wales, and a Chief Constable like Richard Brunstrom of the North Wales Police. Only then will the police in Cornwall begin to build up a trusting relationship within the community, which it cannot possibly achieve based in Exeter.
Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom´s Blog
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