By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Chief Constable Rod Hansen’s more than £150k salary is still being paid for by Gloucestershire police while he works for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
Mr Hansen’s suspension was lifted last month by Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson and he was redeployed to help the national body with work on police reform.
The Conservative had suspended Mr Hansen on October 7 after he was issued with a gross misconduct notice by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
He and his chief of staff Gary Thompson were both suspended while an investigation into alleged gross misconduct was undertaken.
The investigation centres on the handling, by both individuals, of an allegation of computer misuse and a potential data breach by another member of staff. Suspension is a neutral act and it does not necessarily mean there will be any disciplinary action.
And Mr Hansen’s suspension was lifted in January after a review by the police and crime commissioner and he is now currently working for the NPCC.
Mr Nelson lifted the suspension as the grounds for it are no longer met after a change in circumstances – this decision does not affect the ongoing IOPC investigation.
Three of the county’s MPs have since written to Mr Nelson demanding to know more about his role in the lifting of the suspension of Chief Constable Rod Hansen.
This came after Gloucestershire Constabulary announced it will make police staff posts redundant because it needs to find an extra £12.3m by the end of the next financial year.
Mr Nelson said last month that the suspension was lifted because of a “change in circumstances” and that “the NPCC offered Mr Hansen a redeployment to a non-public facing role.”
Cameron Thomas, MP for Tewkesbury, says he later discovered that Mr Nelson had contacted the NPCC with such a proposal back in October.
Mr Thomas also says he found out that Gloucestershire will continue to pay Mr Hansen’s sizable salary despite his deployment outside the county. According to Government figures, the chief constable’s pay for Gloucestershire was £158,757 as of April 2024.
Roz Savage, MP for South Cotswolds and Max Wilkinson, MP for Cheltenham joined Cameron in writing to the PCC, requesting clarity and transparency about a matter they perceive as being in the public interest.
Among their concerns is that this appears to be a unique situation, and there needs to be parity of treatment for all officers, or public faith in the constabulary could be undermined.
They also want to know why the county’s taxpayers are continuing to fund a chief constable’s considerable salary while he is working elsewhere in the country, particularly at a time when the constabulary has a multi-million pound shortfall in its budget.
Mr Thomas said: “There are questions to answer regarding the circumstances of Chief Constable Hansen’s redeployment, the financial shortfall and with the leadership of our constabulary.
“Residents are proud of our courageous, selfless police officers and staff, but there has been too much uncertainty at the top for too long.
“Police staff are vital to the operational output of the constabulary, but instead of being thanked for their service, they will now be worried about their futures because of somebody else’s financial mismanagement.
“The leadership situation at the force has been shambolic and I know that it is affecting morale.
“My thoughts are very much with our robust officers and staff, working to keep us safe despite the perpetual problems at the top of the organisation.”
Mr Nelson said he is satisfied all of the decisions he has made since the investigation began and that they have been in accordance with the regulations.
He said they had asked that Mr Hansen’s salary costs be covered as part of redeployment but this was rejected.
“This situation is unprecedented and we arrive here because a redeployment opportunity was made,” he said.
“This means the grounds for suspension, as set out in the regulations, were no longer met and I had no option other than to agree to it.
“It is important to note that all officers, whilst suspended pending an investigation, are on full pay. We asked that salary costs were covered as part of the redeployment but this was declined.
“Regarding the letter from the MPs, there have been at least three attempts from my office to contact Cameron Thomas’ office – once directly by my deputy prior to their press release being issued, a phone call to his chief of staff and thirdly, an email, inviting the three MPs to attend a briefing to discuss the matter. So far there has been no response.
“I am not inclined to have a public debate through the media, not least because an investigation is still going-on and I have a duty to ensure that the process continues unhindered.
“If they would like a meeting to help them understand this very complex situation, my door remains open.
“Residents would be interested to know which organisation currently pays Mr Hansen’s salary, given that policing staff in Gloucestershire likely face redundancy, as the constabulary faces a multi million pound financial deficit.
“I could understand why our frontline officers might be concerned, with their support staff under threat.”
A NPCC spokesperson said Chief Constable Hansen is currently assisting in a national piece of work in support of police reform, as agreed between the NPCC and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire.