It is ‘absolutely disturbing’ that ‘disgraced’ ex-chief constable facing gross misconduct proceedings is working as paid adviser to police and crime commissioner, Home Office minister says
- Home Office minister slammed appointment of ex-chief constable to senior role
- Mike Veale is facing a probe into allegations of misconduct during his last role
- But he has since been appointed as a paid advisor to Leicestershire Police
- Lord Sharpe of Epsom has defended the regulations which allowed him into role
A Home Office minister has slammed the ‘absolutely disturbing’ appointment of a former chief constable who was facing gross misconduct to a police advisory role.
Mike Veale is accused of breaching ‘standards of professional behaviour’ during his time with Cleveland Police. He stepped down as the northern force’s chief constable in 2019.
He was subsequently appointed as a paid adviser to Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews.
Lord Sharpe of Epsom defended the regulations governing elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
Amid claims the system was ‘defective’, he said it was voters who would ultimately hold them to account at the ballot box.
Parliament heard the misconduct hearing against Mr Veale, who led a controversial inquiry into sex abuse claims against the late prime minister Sir Edward Heath when he was in charge of Wiltshire Police, was yet to begin, despite being announced in August last year.
Mike Veale (pictured in 2017) is accused of breaching ‘standards of professional behaviour’ during his time with Cleveland Police. He stepped down as the northern force’s chief constable in 2019
The Government was told in the House of Lords it was ‘scandalous’ that it had failed to take action on the matter, despite being repeatedly pressed at Westminster.
Conservative peer Lord Lexden, speaking under the protection of parliamentary privilege, said: ‘What kind of system is it that permits a disgraced policeman awaiting a serious misconduct hearing to oversee the work of a police chief constable with an unspotted record?
‘What kind of system is it that permits a Police and Crime Commissioner to announce a serious misconduct hearing and then delay it indefinitely even though the law requires it to start within 100 days?
Lord Sharpe of Epsom (pictured) defended the regulations governing elected Police and Crime Commissioners
‘Is not a system that permits all this a gravely defective system?
‘Is it not scandalous that the Government has done nothing to fix the defects despite repeated calls across the House with the Home Secretary even refusing to discuss these matters?’
But rejecting the criticism, Lord Sharpe said he would ‘defend the system’.
Labour frontbencher Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede said: ‘The Government cannot continue to sit on the sidelines on this issue.
‘Lord Lexden has repeatedly raised his concerns and the Government has chosen to sit on its hands.
‘The minister said the regulations exist and the regulations are being followed. But is he satisified with those regulations?
‘The current situation undermines the police in Leicestershire and it also undermines the position of PCCs in general. Does the minister think the regulations need to be changed?’
Lord Sharpe said: ‘I would certainly agree that the current set of circumstances around this individual case are disturbing. Absolutely disturbing.
‘However, the regulations are still being followed and it would be entirely inappropriate to comment on an individual case.’
Veale was subsequently appointed as a paid adviser to Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Rupert Matthews (pictured)
But former senior judge and independent crossbencher Baroness Butler-Sloss questioned ‘how on earth’ Mr Veale came to be appointed.
Sparking laughter, Lord Sharpe said: ‘That’s a very good question indeed.’
He added: ‘The confirmation hearings must be held in public and then as the directly elected local representative for policing it is for PCCs to make decisions about senior appointments to their offices.
‘Ultimately PCCs are directly elected by the communities that they serve and it is the public who will ultimately hold them to account for the decisions that they take.
‘Do we have any plans for a recall mechanism or something of that sort and the honest answer to that is no.’
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