Police Commissioner's Report Clears Chief Constable

Commissioner Alan Hardwick, Independent (Lincolnshire Force Area), has been forced to accept the conclusions of a report he himself commissioned into allegations made against Temporary Chief Constable, Neil Rhodes.

In another misstep for Commissioner Hardwick a report, by the widely respected Chief Constable of Manchester Police, Sir Peter Fahy, has declared that allegations against Chief Constable Rhodes as "unsubstantiated".

Chief Constable Rhodes was suspended over his involvement in a dispute where he was accused of helping a former employee at West Yorkshire Police pursue a claim of racial discrimination which he knew to be contrived.

The report concluded there was no evidence to suggest that Neil Rhodes acted improperly in his role as a Chief Police Officers Staff Association "friend" to the employee. In the report Sir Peter said he had 'complete confidence' Chief Constable Rhodes acted 'from the best of motives' to try and 'achieve a reasonable compromise' He added:

"The investigation team conclude that Mr Rhodes did not exceed the intended boundaries or scope of a CPOSA friend as he properly understood them."

The report accepted there might have been a conflict of interest in some areas but also suggested more clarity is needed nationally, on the role of CPOSA friends.

In response to the report, Mr Hardwick said: 

"I had to take on a serious complaint that was made to me and the way I went around that, I believe, was the right way. I couldn't ignore it. 

"I remain troubled by the nature of the allegation and that it has not been possible for the investigating officer to determine exactly what happened in a private conversation between two highly regarded and credible professionals."

Commissioner Hardwick said the suspension had never been a personal issue and a judicial review had cost him £37,500, alone - questions are still to be answered about the cost to taxpayers about this sorry affair. Back in March Mr. Justice Stuart-Smith ruled that the Commissioner's decision was 'irrational' and 'perverse', determining that the Chief Constable's suspension was therefore unlawful. The judicial intervention was sparked when the Independent Police Complaints Commission were approach by Commissioner Hardwick to investigate and they determined that there was insufficient evidence for them to conduct an investigation.

 Following publication of Sir Peter's report, in a statement, Mr Rhodes said:

"I have sought over the last six months to maintain a dignified silence, safe in the knowledge that I knew there was never any substance in the spurious allegation. 

"The past few months have been unusually challenging. Following the judicial review decision, the commissioner and I resolved that we must draw a line beneath this matter, for the good of Lincolnshire, and demonstrate we could work together productively and positively."

Commissioner Hardwick had been Lincolnshire's Police and Crime Commissioner for just three months when he took the decision to suspend Neil Rhodes. The matter has attracted critics at Westminster, with the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, Keith Vaz MP, describing the way the chief constable's suspension was handled as a 'sorry state of affairs'. There have also been calls for Commisioner Hardwick to resign, amongst these local West Lindsey District Councillor, Cllr. Giles McNeill, Conservative (Nettleham Ward), who said:

"Commissioner Hardwick has once again been found wanting. First we had the refusal of the Independent Police Complaints Commission to investigate the matter then the Judge's ruling and now the investigation that he set up himself has found that the allegations were unsubstantiated.

 "It is hardly a surprise then that people are calling for the TV anchorman-come-Police Commissioner to resign. He has demonstrated again, clearly that he is not up to the job.

It is understood that Chief Constable Rhodes intends to apply for the post of permanent chief constable when it is advertised.

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Hardwick should Resign Urges District Councillor

Cllr. Giles McNeill, Conservative (Nettleham Ward), has called on Police and Crime Commissioner Alan Harwick to resign following the humiliating ruling by a High Court Judge at a hearing in Manchester.

Mr. Justice Stuart-Smith said the the Commissioner's decision was 'irrational' and 'perverse', determining that the Chief Constable's suspension was therefore unlawful.

Cllr. McNeill said:

"It is clear that Alan Hardwick is not up to the job of being Police and Crime Commissioner. He has bungled this suspension of the Chief Constable, Neil Rhodes.

"It was clear that something was amiss when, having referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, they decided that the matter was not sufficient for their investigation.

"The time has come for Commissioner Hardwick to do the honourable thing and resign."

Commissioner Hardwick, Independent (Lincolnshire Force Area), has appointed the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester to undertake an independent investigation.

Independent Wins Election to become Lincolnshire's First Police and Crime Commissioner

Alan Hardwick, Independent (Lincolnshire), a former television presenter and public relations officer for the Police Authority, was sworn in to office yesterday following his victory in the election to the new post of Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

With turnout plummeting to new depths across the country, Lincolnshire managed a turnout of 15.28%, slightly above the national average. West Lindsey had the highest turnout from the seven districts of the county with 17.72%.

The Count took place at seven locations across Lincolnshire. West Lindsey's count was undertaken at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre in Gainsborough and began at nine o'clock.  By half past nine it was clear the turnout was going to be low. By ten o'clock the first part of the count process, verification, was complete and increasingly bored count staff had to wait patiently until one o'clock for other centres to complete their verifications before the counting of ballots count begin.

At one o'clock the counting of the first preference votes began and shortly before three o'clock it was clear that no candidate had recieved more than fifty per cent of the vote and could be elected:

• David Bowles (Independent) 27,345 (32.66%)
• Richard Davies (Conservative) 19,872 (23.73%)
• Paul Gleeson (Labour) 10,247 (12.24%)
• Alan Hardwick (Independent) 26,272 (31.37%)

Richard Davies and Paul Gleeson were eliminated and David Bowles and Alan Hardwick went through to the final round.

The counting of the eliminated candidate's second preferences votes took less than an hour, 9,429 were not vaild second preference votes and shortly before six o'clock the result was announced.

Mr.Hardwick recieved 12,949 (62.59%) additional votes whilst Mr. Bowles recieved 7,741 (37.41%). The result was:

• David Bowles (Independent) 35,086 (47.22%%)
• Alan Hardwick (Independent) 39,221 (52.78%) Elected

PCC 2012: Melvyn Barrett Quits Commissioner Race

Mr. Mervyn Barrett OBE has withdrawn from the contest to become Lincolnshire's first Police and Crime Commissioner the Lincolnshire Echo is tonight reporting.  Mr. Barrett's decision followed a campaign which had fallen to pieces in recent days after a disastrous turn at a hustings event in Boston, the resignation of his entire campaign team on Saturday because of revelations which were subsequently published in The Sunday Telegraph regarding the financing of his campaign by a group likely to lobby for greater privatisation of policing services.

Mr. Barrett confirmed he was pulling out ahead of tonight's and Crime Commissioner hustings at Lincoln Drill Hall, organised by the Lincolnshire Echo.  Mr. Barrett said:

"I will be withdrawing from the election and will be issuing a press statement tomorrow."

The Telegraph's Andrew Gilligan, online, was quick to claim the scalp for the paper:

"Mervyn Barrett, the remarkably well-funded independent candidate to be police and crime commissioner in Lincolnshire, reacted with the standard huffing and puffing to our expose on Sunday about his links with a neo-con US thinktank. Not that he’s actually denied it, or anything else specific that we wrote, of course. And tonight, inevitably, two days after his campaign team resigned, Mervyn has followed them out of the door."

Mr. Barrett, one of the more high profile candidates, worked for the crime reduction charity NACRO for more than three decades and was granted an OBE in 1999 for services to crime reduction.

PCC2012: 'Independent's' Entire Campaign Team Resigns

A candidate campaigning to become one Lincolnshire's new first elected Police and Crime Commissioner has being secretly backed by American lobbyists and companies pushing for police privatisation, The Sunday Telegraph has revealed.

Mr. Mervyn Barrett has been producing expensive leaflets, free DVDs and full-page newspaper adverts in his bid to be elected as next month.

Unusually for a rural, local election, Mr. Barrett has employed professional campaign staff, commissioned weekly opinion polls, opened 'field offices' and is driven in a chauffeured Mercedes, the paper alledges. He has poured tens of thousands of pounds into the elections, far more than any other candidate anywhere else in Britain.

Mr. Barrett describes himself as an 'Independent', who is opposed to 'party politics' in policing. He has pointedly refused to disclose who is funding him, despite widespread local suspicions generated by the intensity and professionalism of his campaign.

At a hustings event held in Boston Mr. Barrett's campaign is described as having 'fallen apart at the seams' when he was not able to develop a 'coherent, cogent argument, let alone find the ability to string three sentences together'. He also was set upon at the hustings by those present for advocating 'cannabis coffee shops' as a part of his drugs policy. Mr. Barrett's professional campaign manager Mr. De Ungar Brown swore numerous times, despite being requested to desist.

The entire campaign team resigned on Saturday, within hours of being contacted by The Sunday Telegraph. Responding to the loss of his campaign team and the article by the paper Mr. Barrett said in a statement:

"I now wish to take time to reflect on both the reaction to the Telegraph article and also to consider how best I could continue my campaign following the resignation of my Campaign Director and Campaign team. I also wish to consult with my legal advisers regarding a number of inaccuracies that the original article contained.

"I will be making no further comment at this stage; however I will be holding a full press conference on Wednesday, 24^th October."

The Sunday Telegraph suggested that his campaign has been run by a team from a US-based neo-conservative think tank, the Fund for the New American Century, funded in part by a variety of corporate donors with an interest in public-sector privatisation.

The papers's investigation of Mr Barrett’s campaign website reveals that it is registered to a New York and Washington-based 'political action committee', MatthewPAC, part of The Fund for the New American Century, whose website says it is 'dedicated to building America’s future by supporting candidates who share our vision for reform and innovation'.

The Sunday Telegraph reports it has established that Mr.De Unger Brown, Mr Barrett’s 'special adviser', campaign manager and press spokesman until yesterday, is Chairman of the Fund for the New American Century. Commenting to the newspaper Mr. De Unger Brown said:

"We support Republican candidates. It is a centre-Right organisation.

"I don’t think that neo-con would be an unfair description."

Mr. David Bowles, standing for the Lincolnshire Independent's Party, commented to the paper:

"It is a very slick campaign but it appears that Mervyn is no more than a puppet.

"Every time I have tried to contact him, the response has always come back from Matthew and every time I’ve tried to meet him it’s been Matthew I’ve met instead."

Mr. Bowles claimed that last week Mr. De Unger Brown asked to meet him to discuss the possibility of an electoral deal, with Mr Barrett becoming his deputy, the paper reported.

Conservative candidate Richard Davies, who is front-runner to be Lincolnshire's first Police and Crime Commissioner, said:

"I think he has come into Lincolnshire to try to run a big presidential style political campaign and that does not really work here."

Under Electoral Commission rules independent candidates do not have to reveal their source of donations until ninety days after the ballot. Its guidelines state candidates are able to accept contributions only from 'certain mainly UK-based sources'.

PCC2012: Richard Davies Supports Local Residents On Nettleham Custody Suite Proposals

Conservative Candidate for Lincolnshire's first Police and Crime Commissioner, Cllr. Richard Davies, has supported local residents in both Nettleham and Lincoln by opposing current plans to move the West Parade Police Station's facilities to a new build at the Police Headquarter's site on Deepdale Lane, Nettleham. Cllr. Davies said:

"Lincolnshire Police have floated the idea of moving Lincoln’s West Parade Police Station and Custody Suite to Nettleham.

"Looking at the current evidence and plans for the relocation of Lincoln City Police Station I do not think that Nettleham is the best place to locate a custody suite. 

"On the broader issue of city wide policing: I believe Lincoln city centre needs a policing presence in the form of a police station, including custody suite – West Parade may not be the best location but we need a comprehensive business case and consultation of all options before a decision is made"

Policing Minister and Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate Have Positive Meeting

Nick Herbert MP (Left) and Cllr. Richard Davies (right).

Nick Herbert MP, Minister for Policing has met with the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner candidate Cllr. Richard Davies on a recent visit to Lincolnshire. Richard Davies and the Minister talked over how to achieve real savings in Lincolnshire’s policing budget while at the same time protecting frontline policing.

Nick Herbert MP congratulated Cllr. Davies on securing the Conservative nomination for Lincolnshire and said that he was a strong candidate who was the natural choice for the voters of Lincolnshire.

Richard Davies priorities are to:

• Deliver visible policing for Lincolnshire 
• To prevent crime across Lincolnshire 
• To spend taxpayers money wisely 

Prospective Conservative Police & Crime Commissioner Candidate for Lincolnshire, Cllr. Richard Davies, said:

"If elected as the first Police and Crime Commissioner Lincolnshire I will take a no-nonsense approach to policing, for example making sure that the policing structure in place allow there to be more police at work on a Friday night than there are on a Monday morning."

Cllr. Davies was born and raised in Lincolnshire, is a local businessman and a County Councillor representing Grantham North West. If you want to learn more about what policies Richard would like to see implemented in Lincolnshire visit his website www.votedavies.co.uk.

PCC2012: Conservatives Choose County's Police and Crime Commissioner Candidate

The candidates for the post of the newly created office of Police and Crime Commissioner for the Lincolnshire force area have become clearer following the Conservatives' selection of their candidate.

Members of the Conservative Party from across Lincolnshire came together at a closed primary to select a final candidate after several months of scrutiny of nineteen individuals who put themselves forward for the role.

Cllr. Richard Davies

Cllr. Richard Davies, Conservative (Grantham North West Division, LCC), has been selected as his party's candidate. As a member of Lincolnshire Police Authority Cllr. Davies is well placed to fulfil the demands of the role of Police and Crime Commissioner for the County. Richard says:

"Having been born and raised in Lincolnshire I understand the negative impact crime and anti-social behaviour has on hard working families across our county. I believe my no-nonsense approach will help prevent crime, reduce people’s fear of lawlessness and offer the public genuine reassurance about the way their communities are policed. That is why I am seeking the Conservative Party nomination for Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire."

Cllr. Davies is the front runner in this contest, he should confidently retain his deposit (£5,000 - lost if polls below 5%) and could easily win on the first choice votes (the system used for the election of these posts is the Supplementary Voting System).

Cllr. Phil Dilks, Labour (Deeping St. James Ward, SKDC), is a former journalist. He served eight years on Lincolnshire County Council up to the 2009 local elections when he was kicked off the authority by local voters. He served on Lincolnshire Police Authority during his time as a county councillor. He is a GMB Trade Unionist.

Cllr. Dilks secured his seat on South Kesteven District Council in a postponed election last year, however there was criticism as Cllr. Dilks gave himself no party description. Despite being a Labour Party member and former Labour councillor and Labour press officer. He now sits as a member of the Labour group on the council. He is expected to retain his deposit.

Other candidates at this stage to have emerged are former Chief Executive of Lincolnshire County Council Mr. David Bowles, Independent. The voting system favouring established parties expect him to loose his deposit.

Mr. Mervyn Barrett OBE, Independent has come forward as well and has a background of over 30 years experience of the criminal justice and crime prevention fields - for which he received his OBE in 1999. Perhaps the more serious of the two independent campaigns. He may retain his deposit if he does significantly better than Mr. Bowles.

Finally, for the moment, Cllr. Elliot Fountain, English Democrats (Fenside Ward, BBC) has put his hat into the ring. Expect him to loose his deposit.

Lincolnshire Conservatives Police Commissioner Candidates Whittled Down to Three

Senior members of the Conservative Party in Lincolnshire met on Saturday to agree the final three names that will go forward to the party members who will select their candidate for the new role of Police and Crime Commissioner, expected to be a contested election on Thursday, 15th November 2012.

A closed primary of members of the Conservative Party will take place on Saturday, 23rd July 2012.

The Selection Council have selected:

Cllr. Richard Graham Davies

Represents the Grantham North West Division on Lincolnshire County Council
Member of Lincolnshire Police Authority

Richard says:

"I was born and raised in Lincolnshire and now have a young family growing up here. It is my aim to make Lincolnshire a better place to live and work. Together we can make our county a safer place to live for everyone, but to do this I need your support. I want to hear from you. 

"Having been a supporter of directly elected commissioners since the idea was first raised I see a directly accountable individual as a vital step towards restoring faith in our police service. My experience dealing with Lincolnshire Police means that I have seen first hand how they operate and have the ability to push back and challenge ideas and decisions where appropriate. I understand the concerns ordinary people have about crime and this will inform how I set the policing priorities should I be fortunate enough to be elected. 

"Visible policing is a priority for the people of Lincolnshire and I will make marked changes in the county by creating ‘Cop Shops’ on every town High Street, holding regular public briefings at which members of the public can question senior police officers 

"I believe that my direct experience of business and local government, my understanding of policing issues, my in depth knowledge of Lincolnshire and my involvement with Lincolnshire Police and passion for better performance make me the ideal candidate for the role of Lincolnshire PCC."

Dr. Lee Rotherham

Author
Former Assistant to Sir Richard Body, Member of Parliament for Holland and Boston

Lee says:

"I believe I have the right mix of political and frontline experience to make a real difference in the county I grew up in. 

"I want police officers seen on the streets, and back on the beat; and I believe in correct, not politically correct, policing.

Cllr. Kelly Jason Smith

Represents the Lincoln Moorland Division on Lincolnshire County Council
Member of Lincolnshire Police Authority


Kelly was elected to Lincolnshire County Council in 2009 and was later appointed to the Police Authority. Cllr. Smith was rapidly promoted to the position of Executive Member for Finance and Human Resources.

Police Authority Responds to Parish Council's Concern

Cllr. Barry Young, Chairman of Lincolnshire Police Authority, has responded to a letter from Nettleham Parish Council regarding the proposed new Police Station to be built at the Police Headquarters site on Deepdale Lane in the village.  Mr. Young writes:

"We very much appreciated the opportunity which our attendance at your recent Extraordinary Parish  Council meeting gave us to explain our thinking and try to allay some of the very understandable, although not always entirely valid, concerns expressed. 

"I note the resolution passed by the Parish Council after we had left and comment as follows:

1. Lincolnshire Police Authority has specific statutory responsibilities which mean that we simply cannot undertake to defer individual substantive decisions such as this until the arrival of the Commissioner towards the end of November. However, in reality, the "Lincoln Project" of which this is just a part, is still very much in its embryonic stages and I foresee much if not all of the time between now and then being needed for the completion og our current investigations, considerations of appropriate technical reports and further consultation, let alone any entry into the formal planning process if ultimately we decide that it would be appropriate to proceed in any particular way.

1. We have always made it clear that dialogue with the Parish Council will continue throughout as appropriate and we value the important role you play in linking us to the Nettleham community's views.

1. I not that in the meantime the Parish Council is opposed to the current proposals.

"I look forward to further discussion with the Parish Council as matters develop."