North Yorkshire Police chief on gross misconduct charge

Grahame Maxwell (left) and Adam Briggs are both accused of misconduct

A chief constable and his deputy are to face a disciplinary hearing over allegations they helped relatives get jobs during a recruitment exercise.

North Yorkshire's Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell faces a charge of gross misconduct, the maximum punishment for which is dismissal.

His deputy Adam Briggs is facing a "misconduct meeting".

The charges relate to allegations of helping relatives get through the first stage of a recruitment process.

The action was recommended following an investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

That investigation started after a jobs drive was held in February, which led to about 200,000 people calling a recruitment hotline to inquire about the 60 posts which were available.

Two members of police staff have been sacked and a police constable disciplined in connection with the same recruitment exercise.

The two staff members were sacked after being found guilty of gross misconduct, having used their positions to "circumvent the recruitment process" for their own gain.

The police constable faced a misconduct meeting in relation to an allegation that he assisted police staff under his line management to circumvent the recruitment process.

He was issued with a final written warning, the IPCC said.