Devon and Cornwall Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer to leave force in summer

Devon and Cornwall's most senior police officer will stand down in the summer, the force has said.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer has been in post since February 2013.

During his time in post he has overseen the police response to incidents including the Keyham shootings and policing the G7 summit.

Mr Sawyer said: "It has been an honour to be a member of the Devon and Cornwall police family and a privilege to be chief constable."

He joined the force as deputy chief constable in 2010, coming from the Met Police where he began his service in 1986.

He was appointed temporary chief constable in 2012, before taking on the role permanently the following year.

Mr Sawyer said: "The police family works within the context of a constantly developing and fast-moving society and it is vital that as a service we are able to learn, evolve and improve to keep pace with the communities we serve.

"In Devon and Cornwall I have seen my officers, staff and volunteers rising to that challenge every single day."

He added: "As chief constable I still have a great deal to do between now and my departure, not least supporting the Police and Crime Commissioner in the delivery of her plan whilst she searches for a new chief constable to take the force forward."

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: "I would like to thank the chief constable for his years of exceptional service, for his support in delivering the strategic aims of my police and crime plan and for his unrelenting focus on delivering a world class police force."

Ben Woolvin, Home Affairs Correspondent, BBC South West

Shaun Sawyer has had a long career in the police and previously specialised in organised crime and counter terrorism. When he was in the Met he worked on the Jill Dando murder investigation.

He's the national police chief for modern slavery and he oversaw the setting up of the Exmouth-based Modern Slavery Transformation Unit which helps forces from across the UK share best practice.

His departure is not a big surprise - he had planned to leave after the G7 in Cornwall last year, but stayed on to help the force deal with the aftermath of the mass-shooting in Plymouth last August.

This announcement has prompted some high-praise from many of his officers including the chair of the Devon and Cornwall Police Federation who described Mr Sawyer as "a man of honour and deep humanity".

Insp Andrew Barry, chair of Devon and Cornwall Police Federation, said Mr Sawyer had brought "much needed humanity, pragmatism and inspirational leadership" to the force.

He said: "I have found him to be a man of honour and deep humanity, a man who cares deeply about his officers and staff and one who I could see often wore, uncomfortably, the difficult decisions he had to make as the leader of a huge complex organisation.

"It certainly has been an honour to serve under him and to have had the opportunity to work with him."

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