MP quizzes police over inquiry’s time costs

Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has questioned why so much has been spent by North Yorkshire Police, who have been one of the forces involved in the investigation.

Although costs since April are being recouped from other forces, an initial “scoping” exercise between August 2010 and April is said to have cost £245,000 in time that Mr Smith says may never be recouped.

“While mutual aid between police forces is common, this is a substantial figure to have been spent on a complex investigation when there was no guarantee any of the money could be reclaimed,” said Mr Smith.

“It appears that, yet again, large amounts of North Yorkshire taxpayers’ money have been spent on internal police matters rather than on the front line. Serious questions must be asked about the decision-making process that has led to this situation.”

Cleveland Police’s chief constable Sean Price and his deputy Derek Bonnard were arrested in August in an investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption.

Mr Smith was critical of the amount of money spent by the North Yorkshire force and the Police Authority on the recent disciplinary proceedings against its own chief constable, Grahame Maxwell, and his refusal to quit despite admitting gross misconduct.

Police Authority Chairman Jane Kenyon said: “Neither the authority, nor indeed the incoming Police and Crime Commissioners, have the remit to influence a Chief Officer’s decision in these matters. If Mr Smith thinks that they should have such a remit, then he is suggesting a very dangerous departure indeed from current practice.”