PCC 'eager' for police chief probe to end quickly

Chris Noble, chief constable of Staffordshire Police, was suspended in August

A police and crime commissioner said he is "eager" for an investigation into a chief constable to be concluded as quickly as possible.

Chris Noble, of Staffordshire Police, was suspended amid an Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) probe into his conduct. He denies any wrongdoing.

He was first reported to the watchdog in 2024 but further allegations led to his suspension in August. The matters were said to not be work-related and pre-dated Mr Noble's time at the force.

The county's police, fire and crime commissioner Ben Adams told BBC Radio Stoke taxpayers were effectively paying for two chief constables during Mr Noble's suspension, which he added was "typical" in the circumstances.

"I'm eager therefore for that process to be concluded as quickly as possible but also absolutely fairly," he added. "We need to let due process take place."

The Conservative commissioner said he was not in a position to disclose the nature of the allegations due to there being a "live investigation".

"It's difficult to know how long it will take or what will come out," he said.

"There have been similar investigations in recent years – sometimes they take weeks, sometimes they take many, many months."

He praised acting chief constable Becky Riggs and the force as a whole for "getting on with business as usual".

'Serious concerns'

Adams previously said the suspension was a "neutral act" to allow an independent investigation to take place and came after the allegations "met the threshold" for such action to be taken.

The IOPC confirmed at the time that it had received referrals in April, June and July related to reports "raising serious concerns over Mr Noble's behaviour outside of his work duties".

It said it was also conducting a separate investigation over allegations he shared confidential information without a proper policing purpose.

A spokesperson for the IOPC said Mr Noble remained under investigation, adding that it would be "inappropriate" to comment further at this stage.

Mr 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.