Removal of Chief Constables ~ a brief note

Almost 11 years ago, ObiterJ wrote a number of posts about Police and Crime Commissioners - e.g. this post of August 2015 touched on the power of PCCs to either suspend or dismiss Chief Constables. The power is in section 38 of the  Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The power under section 38 is limited to Police Forces outside London and different arrangements apply to the Metropolitan Police.

Schedule 8 to the 2011 Act is important because, to suspend or remove a Chief Constable, PCCs are required to follow the process set out therein.

At the time of writing there is a row (involving the Home Secretary) over Craig Guildford the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. The Home Secretary (Shabana Mahmood MP) has said that she has 'lost confidence' in him and there are calls from politicians and in the media for him to resign which would, of course, avoid the process set out in Schedule 8.  This Guardian article sets out more detail.

Police Forces are supposed to have operational independence from central government but it seems plain, at least to me, that the present government does not embrace this idea. I fully expect that Shabana Mahmood will seek to amend the law .....

Let's see how this plays out .....