Call for vetting checks after police chief sacked

Nick Adderley was sacked as chief constable of Northamptonshire in June

A police force has been asked to check its vetting records after it emerged a chief constable who lied on his resume used to work for it.

Nick Adderley was sacked by Northamptonshire Police in June for gross misconduct after he lied about and exaggerated his naval rank, length of service and achievements.

Cheshire Constabulary is now being asked for assurances it has tightened up its vetting procedures, as Mr Adderley used to work for the force.

Cheshire Police and Crime Panel also wants to know if he made any false claims while working in the county.

'False legend'

Mr Adderley's litany of deceit went as far as wearing a false medal which suggested he had seen active service in the Falklands War, and wearing his brother's medal implying a tour of Northern Ireland.

The former police chief was 15 when the South Atlantic conflict took place, and he never achieved a rank above able seaman.

His service record revealed he had been discharged from the Royal Navy in 1986 after being deemed "temperamentally unsuitable", been rejected for officer training and failed a course to operate the Seacat missile.

A misconduct panel in Northamptonshire found he created a "false legend" around himself "for the purpose of enhancing his public image".

A further claim on his application form for chief constable that he had acted as a hostage negotiator during an uprising in Haiti in 1986 was also found to have been false.

At a meeting of the Cheshire Police and Crime Panel on Friday, Conservative member Steve Edgar said: “It has been reported that he served in Cheshire Police, working his way through the ranks to serve as a senior officer.

“Can the commissioner assure the panel that the chief constable is looking to see if there could have been any similar acts committed by Mr Adderley when he applied to work in Cheshire?”

In a written statement to the panel, Cheshire Constabulary said there were currently no matters being considered by the force, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Meanwhile, Northamptonshire Police is checking the qualifications and stated military experience of its most senior officers following the scandal.

In a statement following the misconduct panel decision, Mr Adderley apologised to veterans and his police colleagues.