Force paying Chief Constable despite redeployment

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Rod Hansen's suspension was lifted in January

A police force is still paying its chief constable £150,000, despite the fact he is working elsewhere.

Gloucestershire Chief Constable Rod Hansen was suspended in October after he was issued with a gross misconduct notice by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

His suspension was lifted in January by Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson, and he was redeployed to help the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) with work on police reform.

Mr Nelson said the force asked for Mr Hansen's salary costs to be covered as part of redeployment but this was rejected by the NPCC.

'Change in circumstances'

Mr Hansen and Gary Thompson, his chief of staff, were both suspended while an investigation into alleged gross misconduct was undertaken.

The investigation centres on the handling of an allegation of computer misuse and a potential data breach by another staff member, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Suspension is a neutral act and does not necessarily mean there will be any disciplinary action.

Mr Nelson said in January the suspension was lifted because of a "change in circumstances" and "the NPCC offered Mr Hansen a redeployment to a non-public facing role."

Cameron Thomas, MP for Tewkesbury, said he later discovered Mr Nelson had contacted the NPCC with such a proposal in October.

Taxpayers funding salary

Mr Thomas wrote a letter along with Roz Savage, South Cotswolds MP, and Max Wilkinson, MP for Cheltenham, to Mr Nelson.

They asked why Gloucestershire taxpayers were funding Mr Hansen's salary, and requested a parity of treatment for all officers.

The Liberal Democrat MPs also requested more information on Mr Nelson's role in lifting Mr Hansen's suspension.

It came after Gloucestershire Constabulary announced it would make police staff posts redundant because it needed to find an extra £12.3m by the end of the next financial year.

Mr Nelson claimed his office had made "at least three attempts" to contact Mr Thomas' office following the letter, but had not received a response

Mr Nelson said he was "satisfied" with all of the decisions he had made since the investigation began and that they were in accordance with the regulations.

"This situation is unprecedented and we arrive here because a redeployment opportunity was made," he said.

"This means the grounds for suspension, as set out in the regulations, were no longer met and I had no option other than to agree to it.

"It is important to note that all officers, whilst suspended pending an investigation, are on full pay. We asked that salary costs were covered as part of the redeployment but this was declined."

A NPCC spokesperson said Mr Hansen is assisting in a national piece of work in support of police reform, as agreed between the NPCC and Mr Nelson.