Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has thrown her weight behind Dame Priti Patel’s bid to become the next leader of the Conservative Party.

Speaking on Talk TV earlier this week, Ms Hernandez said she would back Dame Patel, telling host Mike Graham that the former Home Secretary was “a law and order icon”.

Dame Patel announced her decision to stand as leader of the Conservative Party at the weekend. She is the fifth Conservative MP to join the leadership race to replace Rishi Sunak, along with Mel Stride, Tom Tugendhat, Robert Jenrick and James Cleverly.

Justifying her decision, Ms Hernandez claimed Dame Patel had improved the lives of people in the South West while serving as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022.

She said: “It's really important that we've got someone who can deliver on their promises, and Priti is one of them. That's one of the reasons why I'm backing her.

“(She) made a difference with County Lines here with the investment that she did, closing them down,” she added, in reference to the method used to transport illegal drugs from one area to another, usually using children or vulnerable people.

Ms Hernandez, who won a third term as police commissioner in May, having served since 2016, also said Dame Patel was “really invested” in the police, citing the previous government’s target of recruiting 20,000 more officers in England and Wales.

She said: “We've got 686 extra police officers in Devon and Cornwall thanks to her investment and council tax flexibility.”

She also applauded Dame Patel’s move to extend custodial sentences to criminals convicted of assaulting emergency workers.

“To me, she's on the side of policing, and she is a law and order icon,” she added.

The issue of police numbers has proved a highly controversial one. Although there was an increase between 2019 and 2023, there was also a fall in officer numbers before 2017. According to fullfact.org the true figure is about 3,500 more officers compared to 2010.