A complaint made about Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner was today heard behind closed doors.
The police and crime panel’s complaints sub-committee met in Winchester to discuss a complaint made against the police and crime commissioner.
Exclusion challenged
The Local Democracy Service challenged the bid to exclude the press and public from the discussion about the complaint.
But members voted unanimously to discuss it behind closed doors.
The Local Government Act 1972 allows agenda items at council – and crime panel – meetings to be heard behind closed doors under certain circumstances.
Stewart: Risk of exempt information being disclosed
Chairman Dave Stewart (former Isle of Wight council leader) said,
“My recommendation is that the press and public be removed from the meeting, because it’s likely in the nature of proceedings that if members of the public were present there would be a disclosure of exempt information.”
Complainant may be a ‘victim’
The exclusion, he added, was to protect the identity of the complainant – described by Cllr Ken Muschamp as a ‘victim’ moments before the meeting began.
It is unknown whether the complaint refers to current commissioner Donna Jones, or her predecessor, Michael Lane.
The sub-committee considers complaints made against the police and crime commissioner and put an informal resolution to the full police and crime panel. The sub-committee does not have any investigative powers.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
Image: Teunie van Hernen under CC BY 2.0
