'Action is being taken' over arrest video contempt

Danielle Stone said she was angry about the matter, given efforts to restore trust in the county's police force

A police, fire and crime commissioner says actions are being taken in response to a court ruling after officers failed to produce footage of an arrest.

Northamptonshire's Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet was found to be personally liable and in contempt of court when the case reached the Court of Appeal on 11 November.

Danielle Stone told an extraordinary meeting of the Northamptonshire police, fire and crime panel that she had considered suspending Mr Balhatchet but felt it was "not appropriate" at that time.

She said: "He wasn't aware of what was going on until 22 October this year, huge questions around that isn't there, that the chief was unaware."

Northamptonshire Police was fined £50,000, and Mr Balhatchet apologised, adding: "The failing of my force has been appalling."

Ms Stone said the Chief Constable had laid out five measures to better understand exactly what went wrong, including commissioning another force to conduct a peer review, extending retention of body worn cameras - as well as a review of other body worn camera cases.

PFCC Danielle Stone with Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet at his confirmation hearing earlier this year

Ms Stone also said that her deputy would be carrying out her own independent review, and a report of terms of reference and scope would be seen by the panel before Christmas, with a second stage report sometime in the new year.

The deputy chair of the panel, Carolyn Kus, raised the issue of public trust in the force, adding: "With Northamptonshire Police in the past, public trust has been difficult. With the actions being taken, how can you build up that trust?"

Ms Stone replied: "I think you are absolutely right to pick up on that question of trust.

"I cannot tell you how angry I have been over this matter because we have done, as you will be aware, a huge amount of work out in the community to build up trust and confidence in policing and honestly this has set us back."

Labour group leader Sally Keeble said: "A Chief constable who has got a conviction for contempt (of court) is tricky."

Ms Stone reminded the panel that this was a civil - not a criminal - case.

Conservative group leader Dan Lister said it wasn't an "admin error", but a contempt of court finding, where his own force "didn't think it was important enough to tell the Chief Constable and what that says about policing in the county".

Ms Stone added: "The thing I'm really bothered about is if this could happen once, could it happen twice, could it happen three times."