Northants commissioner 'sorry' for fire chief comments

Mr Mold's office said he "regretted at once" the language he used

A Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) has apologised for language he used about a new fire service chief during a meeting with firefighters.

The comments by Northamptonshire PFCC Stephen Mold, reported by the NNJournal, were heard during a meeting at Moulton fire station.

A spokesperson for Mr Mold said he "immediately regretted" the words he used.

The commissioner's office said it had received three anonymous complaints.

Two Conservative councillors have an made an official complaint about Mr Mold's behaviour.

Mr Mold had recently appointed Nikki Watson to the role of Northamptonshire's Chief Fire Officer, even though she is currently the subject of an Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) inquiry relating to her time as the deputy chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police.

The commissioner is understood to have replied to a question on what would happen to Ms Watson if she were not cleared of wrongdoing by the IOPC.

The woman chosen as Northamptonshire's Chief Fire Officer, Nikki Watson, is under investigation by the IOPC

A statement from the PFCC's office said: "In attempting to explain some of the criticism and opposition he had received regarding his appointment and ongoing support of Ms Watson as the next Chief Fire Officer, the Commissioner used language he regretted at once.

"He apologised to the senior fire officer present, and told the Monitoring Officer what had happened, on the same day.

"A reflective meeting has taken place with the Monitoring Officer to ensure that the Commissioner fully understands the impact of the language he used and the need to remain calm under pressure."

The meeting at which the PFCC used inappropriate language was said to have taken place at Moulton fire station

The commissioner's office said three complaints had been received to its "anonymous reporting lines".

In addition, two Conservative councillors, Scott Brown and James Hill, have made complaints to the Conservative Party about Mr Mold's behaviour.

Mr Hill said: "This is a very regrettable situation... and not something I wanted to do.

"The events of the past year - along with this latest situation... have left me no choice."

The Conservative Party declined to say how many complaints they had received about Stephen Mold.

A spokesperson said: "The Conservative Party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential."