Police Commissioner Cleared of Misconduct Allegations
An investigation into Lincolnshire Police's Commissioner, Marc Jones, regarding alleged misconduct in the hiring process of a chief constable, has resulted in his exoneration. The probe was conducted by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) under the codename Operation Motala and was initiated due to concerns raised by some members of the Police and Crime panel (PCP).
Origin of the Investigation
Mr. Jones had nominated the assistant chief constable of Derbyshire, Paul Gibson, as his ideal candidate to take over the role from outgoing Lincolnshire Police head, Billy Skelly, in 2020. However, members of the PCP accused Mr. Jones of manipulating the selection process, misleading panel members, and attempting to coerce the panel by publicly revealing his preferred candidate even before a decision had been made.
Course of the Investigation
The IOPC investigation, which spanned approximately a year from November 2021 to October 2022, involved interviewing three anonymous candidates who were part of the selection process in September 2020. It was observed that although Mr. Jones demonstrated a clear preference for Candidate 3, other panel members raised doubts about his impartiality.
"There were allegations that Mr. Jones had 'made his mind up early on' and was unable to provide evidence sufficient to justify his scoring for the candidates," the report stated.
The report further suggested that the commissioner maintained his favouritism towards Candidate 3 during an additional stage of the selection process, which Mr. Jones opted for, to address some concerns about the individuals performance.
Outcome of the Investigation
The officer concluded that Mr. Jones's approach importantly, did not suggest any wilful wrongdoing amounting to criminality, but appeared more indicative of unconscious bias, naivety or overconfidence. The IOPC did not identify any problems with regard to truthfulness.
"Despite Mr Jones' actions being questionable, they were more appropriately considered by the PCP in their review and scrutiny role, rather than by a criminal court." read the decision maker's comments.
In the end, Chris Haward was selected as the new Chief Constable in December 2020.