The States of Jersey are now advertising for a new Chief Police Officer, as can be seen at the bottom of this post.
We at “Team Voice” believe that any potential applicants should be well researched and informed of how our government treats their Chief Police Officers. We have set out a small chronology of events experienced by Former Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM.
Any potential applicants would do well to know we have (to use the words of our Home Affairs Minister) a “not fit for purpose” disciplinary code for Chief Police Officers, that the Home Affairs Minister insists on using, despite there being better alternatives available, as used in the UK.
The Chief Police Officer is not afforded legal representation as part of his position. Your fate will lie in the hands of one person alone, that being the Home Affairs Minister.
There is no such thing as an Independent Police Authority in Jersey, if you get suspended then you’re on your own!
Potential applicants cannot afford to ignore any of the links set out in this posting, and must read everything in its entirety, and then you should be sufficiently researched and informed.
Team Voice would like to wish the successful applicant, all the luck they deserve………
Chronology of events.
1. In June 2007. The former Chief Police Officer is due to reach "Normal retirement age." He is asked by Ministers to work on to maintain continuity of management due to the fact that a number of senior ranks are due to retire around the same time. The Ministers were able to persuade him to stay on.
2. Early 2008. The Historic Abuse Enquiry, which has been running for around 18 months, becomes high profile. Deputy Chief Officer Lenny Harper, who is due to retire in the summer of that year, is in command. His job has been advertised and a number of candidates have applied. The selection process moves slowly and David Warcup is not able to take up his position until Lenny Harper is in the process of leaving.
3. November 2008. The Chief Police Officer is called in when on leave and suspended from duty by the then Minister for Home Affairs,
Andrew Lewis. The meeting lasts around half an hour. There has been no warning, no expression of concern, no advance notice of the purpose of the meeting and no offer of representation. It later emerges that the sole evidence used to justify the suspension is a letter from the new Deputy Chief Officer, David Warcup which the Minister (Andrew Lewis) claims he received the previous day. Immediately following the suspension Mr. Warcup is appointed as Acting Chief Officer.
4. December 2008. Brian Moore, Chief Constable of Wiltshire, is appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation. He indicates that he will submit his report by around
March 2009.
5. Immediately following his suspension the Chief Police Officer (Graham Power QPM) examines the suspension documents and is suspicious. They are complex, legalistic, and do not appear to be capable of having been produced in the timescale claimed. There are also errors which indicate that they may have been drafted with a longer process in mind. The Chief Police Officer makes a disclosure request for the times and dates on which the letters were created. This is
refused by our Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur.
6. January 2009. The Chief Police Officer swears an
Affidavit and begins proceedings for a
Judicial Review of his suspension.
7. Feb/March 2009. The new Minister, Senator Ian le Marquand conducts review meetings
ONE,
TWO and
THREE in relation to the suspension and decides to keep it in place.
8.
July 2009. After a number of adjournments at the request of the Minister the Judicial Review reaches the Royal Court. The Court rules that it can only pass judgement on the most recent ministerial decisions which are the reviews of February and March. The original suspension is now "out of play." The Chief Police Officer claims that things are being dragged out to a point where he is being "dismissed by stealth."
There is still no report from Wiltshire and no indication of when matters will move forward. The Minister states that he will
have a report soon. In a subsequent judgement the court rules that the minister did not exceed his powers in the February and march reviews. They do however make strong criticism of the manner of the original suspension although they are no longer able to rule on its legality.
The Minister applies for costs!! The court refuses the application stating, among other things, that the case was brought in the public interest.
9. September 2009. The Chief Police Officer’s application for disclosure of when the suspension documents were actually created finally reaches a hearing (some nine months later). The application is opposed in person by the Chief Minister, Senator Terry Le Sueur. The hearing finds in favour of the Chief Police Officer. It is subsequently disclosed that the documents were created on the morning of Saturday 8th November 2008,
three days before the minister claimed that he first received evidence which caused him concern. The disclosure cannot be reconciled with the official version of events and there is a growing concern that senior figures in government may
have lied and that others may have engaged in a cover-up.
10. October 2009. The Chief Police Officer
writes to the Privileges and Procedures Committee (PPC) asking for an investigation into the actions of Ministers in relation to the suspension documents. The Committee didn’t get to see the letter as the Chairman,
Constable Juliette Gallichan, decided not to show it to them. She then rules that the matter is outside the
remit of PPC,
also without discussing it with her Committee.
11. Late 2009.
There is still no report from Wiltshire and no indication of the date for any hearing. The Chief Police Officer issues a number of public statements drawing attention to the delay and confirming that he will retire in 2010 come what may. A number of back-bench States members now have a growing interest in the case. The Minister provides the Chief Police Officer with the first of a series of documents relating to the still ongoing investigation by Wiltshire.
12. 20th January 2010. The Chief Police Officer writes to the Minister drawing attention to his previous statements and the lack of progress. He gives formal notice that he will retire no later than 20th July 2010. The Minister decides to continue with the disciplinary investigation regardless.
13 February the 2nd 2010 Deputy of St. Martin Bob Hill brings forward a proposition
P9/2010 for a formal committee of enquiry into the conduct of the suspension. This is resisted by Ministers. As a compromise they bring forward a proposal for an eminent QC to conduct an independent review and report. Mr. Brian Napier QC is appointed.
14. Spring 2010. Mr. Napier is still working on his review. A civil servant acting on behalf of the minister provides the Chief Officer with further documentation relating to the Wiltshire investigation. There is a series of exchanges in which the civil servant raises the issue of a meeting with the minister which is a requirement of the Disciplinary Code and is intended to decide if a disciplinary hearing is required. The Chief Police Officer points out the Ministers obligation under the code to provide a "Preliminary Report" to all the parties prior to such a meeting. The proposed agenda of the meeting requires two reports.
One has been provided. The second has not been provided in spite of repeated requests. There cannot therefore be a meeting under the code.
15. June 2010. The States Human Resources Department presses ahead with the administration of the Chief Officers retirement and the resolution of outstanding leave/pension arrangements and the like. They fix the Chief Officers "last working day" as
15th June 2010.
16. 23rd June 2010.
Over a week after the designated "last working day" a courier delivers the second part of the "preliminary report" to the Chief Officers home along with an invitation to a meeting with the Minister. The Chief Police Officer is on holiday. His professional association writes to the Minister drawing attention to the fact that he has effectively left the service and that there can be no disciplinary action.
17. July 2010. The Minister announces that he is abandoning the disciplinary case. By that time admitted costs have exceeded one million pounds. The Minister then begins the release of extracts of the disciplinary case (TO THE MEDIA) which he has now abandoned!! On behalf of the Chief Officer it is pointed out that none of these issues have been tested at a hearing, that any allegations of misconduct or mismanagement are strongly denied, and that the abandonment of the case means that the Chief Officer is now effectively exonerated.
He did not however release the 75,000 word document(s) Graham Power had written in his defence.
18. July 2010. It becomes known that Mr. Napier is nearing the end of his work and has written to individuals whose actions may be criticized in his report giving them draft details of what might be said to their detriment and a chance to make representations.
19. 19th July 2010. The Minister for Home Affairs makes the unexpected announcement that David Warcup is to resign as Deputy and Acting Chief Officer and will leave the service at the end of the year.
20. August 2010. The advertisement below is placed for a new Chief Officer. The advert draws attention to the
challenging nature of the political environment in which the successful candidate will be required to work.
21. Former Chief Officer Graham Power QPM left Jersey in the spring of 2010. He retired with over 44 years police service. He gave 10 years of his life to the Jersey Police Force with very positive HMIC Reports. Still our Home Affairs Minister could not bring himself to acknowledge Graham Power QPM and his contribution to the 10 years of policing he gave the island. The Home Affairs Minister “refused” to acknowledge the Chief Police Officer by not delivering ANY statement to the house on the retirement of Mr. Power QPM.
Mr. Power QPM is currently understood to be living in North Yorkshire where he spends much of his time walking and fishing. He is said to be
awaiting the publication of the Napier report with interest. There are reports that he has been approached by professional authors interested in the Historic Abuse enquiry and the wider issues relating to Jersey and its government. His response to these approaches is at present unknown.
Job Advert as seen
HERE
States of Jersey Police
CHIEF OFFICER
Salary: £130,000
Contract: 6 years, commencing 2011.
Applicants should have substantial command experience, preferably at Assistant or Deputy Chief Level and will have successfully completed the Strategic Command Course, or equivalent.
It is expected that applicants will be already serving, or have recently served, in a Police Force in the British Isles and be fully up to date with current policing issues.
The Chief Officer will work closely with the Minister for Home Affairs to provide the leadership and direction of the Force. S/he should also be able to work in partnership with other senior colleagues as part of the Corporate Management Board of the States of Jersey.
The role profile for the post is similar to that of a Chief Constable in the UK. In addition to the ability to think strategically in a complex political environment, the Chief Officer must have diplomacy and excellent interpersonal skills, together with a high level of credibility within the wider service.
Jersey is one of the world’s major financial centres and is the home of a diverse multi-cultural community with high expectations of the police. Senior police officers have a high profile and play a major part in supporting the Island’s government in upholding and sustaining the quality of life in a unique environment.
The post is offered on a 6 year contract.
For an application pack please contact the Home Affairs Human Resources Department by email at HR.HomeAffairs@gov.je or ring Liz Webster – Senior HR Manager on 01534 447938 01534 447938
Closing date for receipt of applications is 9.00am Monday 13 September 2010.
Interviews will take place in Jersey on 7/8 October 2010.
Submitted by VFC/
Rico Sorda.
