Mike Veale: Ex-Cleveland Police chief's new job 'astonishing'

Mike Veale is accused of breaching "standards of professional behaviour" during his time with Cleveland Police

A former chief constable facing a gross misconduct probe has been appointed chief executive officer for a police and crime commissioner's (PCC) office.

Ex-Cleveland Police boss Mike Veale has been given the interim job with the PCC for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Rupert Matthews.

The area's former PCC Lord Willy Bach said he was "astonished".

Mr Matthews said it was "entirely inappropriate" for Mr Veale's position to "be publicly questioned".

He said he believed in people being "innocent until proven otherwise" and Mr Veale had gained the "trust, confidence and respect" of the PCC team.

Mr Matthews also said his predecessor had been "ill-advised" and was waging an "unseemly and wildly inaccurate war of words on his successor", adding: "This is purely political posturing and I find it unbecoming."

'Sick joke'

While previously in charge of Wiltshire Police, Mr Veale led a controversial inquiry into sexual abuse allegations against the late Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.

He later stood down from Cleveland Police in 2019 following gross misconduct allegations.

In April this year, Labour frontbencher Lord Rosser told the House of Lords it was a "pretty sick joke" that Mr Veale was advising Mr Matthews with a misconduct hearing pending.

Questions have been asked about when the hearing might take place.

The office of Cleveland's PCC said a date for the hearing had not yet been set and "it would be inappropriate for us comment further".

Mr Veale said he did not feel it was "appropriate or acceptable" to comment on the misconduct allegations, which have been under investigation for more than four years.

He said he had 36 years of policing experience which he would use to make "Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland safer".

Rupert Matthews won the Leicestershire Police and Crime Commissioner election in May 2021

On Wednesday, Labour peer Lord Bach said there had been "anger" that Mr Veale was working for the current PCC's office.

He criticised changes in Mr Matthews' staffing which he said removed internal scrutiny of the Conservative PCC's actions, highlighting he had had five chief executive officers in the 19 months since he took over the post in May 2021.

Existing CEO Paul Hindson left in October last year and was replaced by David Peet, the former CEO for the Derbyshire PCC in January.

Two other people held the post on an interim basis both before Mr Peet's appointment and after his departure earlier this year, including Elizabeth Staff who was temporary CEO twice and is replaced by Mr Veale.