The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Hayes, has for the second time since coming into office in November 2012, had a complaint against him referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
The allegation of criminal conduct, which is described as a ‘serious complaint’, was referred by the Police and Crime Panel.
Chairman of the Panel, Cllr David Stewart, said:
“The panel is responsible for complaints about the police and crime commissioner for Hampshire, and referred the complaint to the IPCC in line with legislation.
“The Hampshire Police and Crime Panel will not be offering any further comment, nor provide details of the nature of the complaint.”
“Factually incorrect” “malicious complaint”
Simon Hayes, Police and Crime Commissioner told OnTheWight this morning,
“I am aware that a complaint has been made against me to the Police and Crime Panel by a persistent complainant. From the information the complainant has since made public, I consider the complaint to be malicious in nature, factually incorrect, damaging and misleading to the public.
“It is important that complaints are managed through the appropriate channels and in accordance with required statuary procedures. This is now a matter for the Police and Crime Panel to address and they have rightly referred this complaint to the IPCC for their guidance on how the complaint should be managed and investigated. I am confident that the IPCC will find there is no case to answer here.
“As public understanding of the role and responsibilities of PCCs continues to increase, so are the volume of unfounded complaints that need to be investigated. I share the concerns of fellow PCCs about the cost to the public purse in responding to repeat complainants who clearly have a personal – often political – agenda.”
In October 2013, Mr Hayes was cleared of a complaint made against him in.
Article edit:
Headline changed from “Police and Crime Commissioner under investigation by IPCC” to “Complaint against Police and Crime Commissioner referred to IPCC”
Image: © Used with the kind permission of Eastleigh News
