Authority defies Blunkett over police chief
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Humberside Police Authority put itself on a collision course with the Home Secretary today, defying his order to suspend chief constable David Westwood.Instead they urged David Blunkett to reconsider his demand.
Humberside Police Authority put itself on a collision course with the Home Secretary today, defying his order to suspend chief constable David Westwood.Instead they urged David Blunkett to reconsider his demand.
Mr Blunkett told the authority to remove Mr Westwood from active duty after he was heavily criticised in an official report into failures in police intelligence in the case of of Soham child killer Ian Huntley.
But following a two-hour meeting at the authority's headquarters in Hull today, its chairman Councillor Colin Inglis asked the Home Secretary to "reconsider his decision".
Mr Inglis, who is leader of Labour-controlled Hull City Council, said: "By amajority of 12 votes to five, the Police Authority has agreed the followingresolution: That the Home Secretary be asked to reconsider his decision torequire Humberside Police Authority to suspend the Chief Constable, Mr DavidWestwood."
Another member of the authority, councillor John Neal, said the committee had been asked to back the resolution proposed by the chairman, which he said flew in the face of legal advice.
Mr Neal said: "We are in the wrong, as I see it.
"My personal view is that we should have taken cognisance of what we were required to do by the law, by the Home Secretary and that advice has been totally ignored."
He said the meeting was not acrimonious but he agreed that the decision taken today was "extraordinary".
Mr Neal went on: "There's some people who voted within the law and some people in a sense voted outside the law. So he's not suspended.
"Now it's up to the Home Secretary. It's his next move."
Asked if this meant the whole police authority could now be sacked by central government, Mr Neal said: "I would say it could, I don't know."
A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said the chief constable was in his officetoday in full uniform.
She added: "This is now a matter between the Home Secretary and the police authority and it would be improper for the chief constable or the force to comment further."
Mr Neal revealed that he and other authority members had a package of documentsput through their letterboxes overnight which included a personal letter from MrWestwood.
But he said he had not had time to read it before the meeting.
Asked if he wanted Mr Westwood to remain as chief constable, irrespective of the present controversy, he said: "In short, no.
"We are the second worst police force in the country.
"I always say you have more chance of seeing a unicorn in People's Park (in Grimsby) than seeing a policeman on the beat."
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: "Sir Michael Bichard's report shows there is blame on both sides.
"This stand-off between the Home Secretary and the police authority is not in the public interest, and is a disappointing response to the tragic events that led to Holly and Jessica's deaths.
"What the public want now is for all sides to get on and implement the report's recommendations, not a long, drawn-out battle between personalities."