A Cornwall MP for a town which has recently been the scene of a number of violent crimes has slammed the “leadership melodrama” at scandal-hit Devon and Cornwall Police.

The force is currently paying three chief constables’ wages after two of the police bosses were suspended on full pay.

Perran Moon, the MP for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, is appalled that the force is paying its highest individual salary of around £180,000 three times instead of one when policing in his towns and others across Cornwall is facing financial challenges.

The Labour MP told CornwallLive: “While we have so many local policing challenges on the ground in Camborne, Redruth and Hayle, the ongoing leadership melodrama at Devon and Cornwall Police (DCP) continues. It is deeply disappointing and while excellent local officers are working hard on the ground within our communities, the DCP leadership needs to get a grip and sort out this wholly unsatisfactory and expensive mess.”

In the past couple of months, there has been a crossbow attack in Camborne as well as a stabbing, a street attack which left a man with head and face injuries and an armed police swoop on the town during the Christmas lights switch-on when a man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Alison Hernandez, the Devon and Cornwall’s police and crime commissioner, has written to the Home Office requesting a special grant to cover the costs of the salaries.

Chief constable Will Kerr was suspended in July 2023 after an investigation was opened into “serious allegations of sexual offences” in Northern Ireland, which he denies. He was replaced by acting chief constable Jim Colwell.

However, Mr Colwell was also suspended last month after the Independent Office for Police Conduct announced it was investigating potential gross misconduct “in respect of his use of a work issue mobile phone to exchange messages of a personal nature without a policing purpose” and “alleged conduct concerning a force disciplinary matter”.

James Vaughan, the former chief constable in Dorset, has now been appointed as the new acting chief constable of Devon and Cornwall, meaning three police boss salaries are being paid.

Ms Hernandez has responded this morning to concerns over the matter. The commissioner said: “Suspension is a neutral act and both individuals, like officers of all ranks in such situations, receive their regular pay until misconduct investigations are concluded. My office has no powers of investigation and therefore I have to rely on the IOPC to advise me of the severity of the misconduct and carry out any investigation.

“However, I see no reason why our force should have to meet the costs of these salaries while external bodies take weeks, months or even years to conclude their investigations. We learned recently that the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service contacted investigating authority the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, to request additional information in relation to the inquiry into the substantive chief constable, so sadly it looks unlikely to be resolved any time soon.

“With that in mind I have asked the home secretary to provide emergency funds, via a special grant, to my office to meet the costs of these salaries for the duration of the investigation. That way the communities I serve and care about will not miss out. I also hope that they can use the levers of power to bring investigations to a swift conclusion. ”

She added: “While others may dither over decisions, I will not. I have been focused on finding someone of chief constable Vaughan’s calibre to stabilise the force and drive improvements during this challenging period – and my office and I did so within a couple of weeks.”