'I've got 100 questions' about lying police chief

Nick Adderley was dismissed from the chief constable post for gross misconduct

The man who has replaced a chief constable sacked for lying said he still had "100 questions I'll never ask".

Nick Adderley, the most senior police officer in Northamptonshire, was dismissed earlier this month after a panel found he had misrepresented his military career.

The acting chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, said public confidence and trust in the police was "the worst it's ever been".

A Northamptonshire Police Federation representative said some officers still believed Mr Adderley was the best chief constable the county had ever had.

Mr Adderley's career in the police service ended when a panel upheld all allegations against him following a five-day gross misconduct hearing.

It concluded he had lied on his CV about being trained at the Britannia Royal Naval College and about being a "commended officer" in the Royal Navy.

Acting chief constable Ivan Balhatchet said he understood why trust in the police was "the worst it's ever been"

The acting chief constable, Ivan Balhatchet, said: "This has been difficult for everyone, it's been difficult for me as well,

"I've got 100 questions that I'll never ask but I'm the chief constable, my priority is to do the best for this county and for the police force."

Mr Balhatchet added that "trust in the police is the worst it's ever been, and I totally understand why that is".

Sam Dobbs, from the Police Federation, said he had received a wide range of responses to the sacking

It has also been a difficult time for rank and file officers in the constabulary.

Sam Dobbs represents the lower ranks within the force as chairman of the local branch of the Police Federation.

He said: "The responses you get from officers range from 'good riddance, he needed to go, he let us all down' all the way through to 'if you're in touch with him, please let him know that he did loads of good for us as well - you can't excuse this, but he's probably one of the best chief constables we've had'."

He added that the conclusion that Mr Adderley was lying was "awful because he is top of the tree of an organisation that stands for honesty and integrity."

The police commissioner, Danielle Stone, said the force now needed stability

The newly-elected Labour police, fire and crime commissioner, Danielle Stone, said she hoped the acting chief would "steer the ship".

"We need a bit of stability and we need to rebuild confidence within the force and Ivan has got a really strong leadership team that can do that for us," she said.