A FORMER high-ranking naval officer and diplomat has been officially named Labour’s candidate for Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner.

Gareth Derrick, who joined the Royal Navy in 1977 and trained as a midshipman at Dartmouth’s Britannia Royal Naval College, and initially worked in the submarine service, and was for three years from 2007 a defence and naval attache, based at the British Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. He was later appointed deputy commander of the UK Maritime Reserves from 2010-12.

He will fight the election on May 5 in the hope of replacing ­current PCC Tony Hogg.

Mr Hogg was elected as the first PCC for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in 2012, when the role was brought in. His tenure, and the role itself, has not been without controversy, with some opponents calling the ­position a waste of time and money, saying it politicises policing.

He has come under fire recently for the reported £500,000 cost of a planned office move to Devon and Cornwall Police’s headquarters at Middlemoor, Exeter.

But he has also received praise for his tough stance on funding, delaying a proposed central government cut for the region’s force.

Three other hopefuls from differing backgrounds have so far put themselves forward to stand against 57-year-old Mr Derrick, who was an Ivybridge town councillor for a short time before standing down to campaign to become the PCC.

Independent Bob Spencer served in Merseyside and Devon and Cornwall police forces for more than 30 years, retiring in 2009 as acting assistant chief constable for Devon and Cornwall. He has just resigned from his posts as independent chairman of Devon and Torbay Councils’ adult safeguarding boards.

Former Liberal Democrat MP for Teignbridge Richard Younger-Ross is the party’s candidate for PCC.

If elected, he plans to campaign to abolish the role, and says he will not allow the job or the police to be politicised.

Conservative candidate Alison Hernandez has a background of working alongside the police to promote community safety and cut crime. She will campaign under the slogan ‘Safety, First and Foremost’.

These three, and any others that wish to contest the election must produce a list of 100 supporters of their nomination, and pay a £5,000 deposit between March 9 and April 7.