Police chief suspended over conduct allegations

The allegations against Ch Con Chris Noble are not work related and pre-date his time with the force, said the commissioner

The head of a police force has been suspended from his role while an investigation into his conduct takes place.

Chris Noble, the chief constable of Staffordshire Police, was reported to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) last year.

Ben Adams, the county's police, fire and crime commissioner, said the IOPC investigation was ongoing, but his office had suspended Mr Noble as since the referral to the watchdog, additional allegations had been made against the chief constable that "met the threshold" for such action.

A spokesperson from the Chief Police Officers' Staff Association said Mr Noble "completely and categorically" denied any wrongdoing, and would "continue to co-operate fully with the IOPC investigation".

Mr Adams's office said the allegations were not work-related and pre-dated Mr Noble's time with Staffordshire Police.

The IOPC said it was also probing allegations that Mr Noble shared confidential information without a policing purpose.

Mr Adams said: "Public confidence in the police service is vital so all allegations of misconduct must be fully and independently investigated.

"Suspension is a neutral act, to enable an independent and thorough investigation to take place."

He added the suspension had "no bearing on any indication of guilt and should not be seen as such".

Mr Adams acknowledged the "shock" many across the county may feel but reassured people the allegations would be dealt with "consistently and investigated properly and thoroughly".

"I continue to be focused on the communities of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and ensuring that Staffordshire Police continues to keep our residents safe, protect the vulnerable, and prevent and detect crime and anti-social behaviour," he said.

A temporary chief constable is being sought by the commissioner's team.

Mr Adams said as the matter was subject of an ongoing investigation by the IOPC, he would not be commenting further.

Chris Noble was chosen to lead Staffordshire Police after the retirement of the previous boss in 2021.

Prior to this, he was the assistant chief constable of Humberside Police.

In a statement, an IOPC spokesman said it received referrals in April, June and July.

"The referrals relate to reports we've received raising serious concerns over Mr Noble's behaviour outside of his work duties.

"The IOPC is also separately investigating Mr Noble over allegations he shared confidential information without proper policing purpose."