Devon and Cornwall Police has appointed another chief officer to deal with a lengthy backlog of serious disciplinary cases, it has been revealed today.
In an internal message to staff this week, the force confirmed that Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Middleton had been appointed as a "temporary assistant chief constable" to deal with a high number of cases of gross misconduct – a charge for which officers can be sacked.
The force said the former head of crime had been promoted to assist "in dealing with a number of outstanding gross misconduct hearings which need to be dealt with as a matter of urgency".
A spokesman refused to say how many cases were pending although it is known that in February, 13 officers, including two specials, were suspended for gross misconduct. Others are likely to have been put on restricted duties. Since then two officers have been sacked.
It is thought that the force has a disproportionate number of cases compared to other constabularies similar in size.
"Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Russ Middleton has been appointed by the Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer for a limited period," a spokesman told the Western Morning News.
"Along with other chief officer duties, Mr Middleton will be responsible for chairing a number of gross misconduct panels that the force currently has outstanding.
"Maintaining an effective, professional and efficient disciplinary procedure for the force is critical and ensuring misconduct cases are dealt with in a timely manner is a key part of this.
"It is in the interests of the force, those officers and staff subject to investigation, victims and complainants alike for misconduct panels to happen as soon as possible. This not only means complex policing regulations are complied with, but also that matters do not go on for longer than necessary.
"The Police and Crime Commissioner, Police Federation, Superintendent's Association and police staff associations were consulted on the appointment and are all in support of it."
The appointment, though, has raised concerns among the rank-and-file who have seen the number of chief officers increased to six while hundreds of their colleagues have left because of budget cuts.
Sgt Nigel Rabbitts, chairman of the Police Federation in Devon and Cornwall, said: "While we have raised concerns about the need for growth in the number of chief officers, we have also raised concerns about how long it is taking to get these disciplinary matters resolved.
"On balance, this temporary appointment is welcome and we hope this will mean outstanding cases are resolved as quickly as is reasonably practicable in the best interests of our members and the force.
"We then look forward to the force enacting the proposed reduction in senior management in proportion with those we have lost on the frontline."
Recent high-profile sackings for gross misconduct include that of Gary Watts.
The former sergeant, who shot to national fame when he organised a spoof video of hit pop song Gangnam Style which raised thousands of pounds for charity, was dismissed earlier this month for "a significant breach of trust and the failure in his duties as a police sergeant", the force said.
Mr Watts, who was also one of the force's most prolific users of social media with thousands of followers on Twitter, chose not to attend the disciplinary hearing.
It is expected Mr Middleton will be in post for about 10 weeks. He said: "My temporary appointment is aimed at ensuring the Devon and Cornwall force is as ready as possible for the challenges that summer policing brings and to also enable everyone who is part of misconduct proceedings to be treated fairly with panels happening in an appropriate timeframe.
"The ongoing proposed strategic alliance work with Dorset Police means that one chief officer is committed to that project, so my role will be to support the chief constable and other members of the chief officer group in providing the very best service to our communities during what will be a busy summer period.
"Continuity and consistency are key areas of any business, particularly when dealing with misconduct matters, so my appointment will allow this to be continued."
