Devon & Cornwall Police News site

Superintendent Toby Davies is retiring from policing after 30 years dedicated service to the public and is proud of what he and his colleagues have achieved.

The hard-working officer, who has been policing Commander for the North and West Devon region for the last nine years, says he is leaving Devon & Cornwall Police with many happy memories and that joining the Force is the best decision he ever made.   

Supt Davies was brought up in North Wales and moved to Exeter for university – he has stayed in Devon ever since. His wife is a secondary school teacher and he has two grown up children who have both graduated from university and are working locally in North Devon.

Supt Davies said: “I was studying at Exeter University when I saw a career stand about policing. I had no family connections in the police and had never even thought of policing as a career. On a whim I picked up the form, filled it out and sent it in. A few days later, I was in a three-day assessment centre and, somehow, I got through! It was the best decision I ever made.”

His career began in 1994 and he spent the first five years working in Exeter on Response and Neighbourhood Policing Teams, before being promoted to the rank of Sergeant in Ilfracombe in 1999. He has helped the policing of various royal visits and also worked on large operations such as the G7 Summit in 2021.   

Supt Davies 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 & Cornwall Police and helped establish the Victim Care Unit.

Throughout his career he has had various specialist roles in public order, firearm and major incident command and achieved a few commendations along the way. One commendation was for his proactivity and number of arrests during his probation period and a second was for helping a man who was suffering from a mental health crisis.

Last autumn Supt Davies received a national Excellence in Policing award from the Police Superintendents Association. The colleagues who nominated him describe him as having a genuine passion for policing that is displayed through a steadfast belief in doing what is right for communities, with compassion and fairness. 

He was also invited to a retirement meeting recently with Devon & Cornwall Police Chief Constable James Vaughan who presented him with a certificate to mark his 30 year career.

In his spare time Supt Davies 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 and they raised around £6,000 for North Devon Hospice and the National Foundation of Retired Service Animals.     

Supt Davies 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 & 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.”

Experienced Superintendent, Emma Butler-Jones, is due to take on the North & West Devon Commander role when Toby Davies retires. 

If you want to find out more about a career with Devon & Cornwall Police please visit our website Careers within Devon & Cornwall Police | Devon & Cornwall Police

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Photos show Supt Davies with Chief Constable Vaughan and Supt Davies as a younger man - Sergeant rank