Just hours before a gross misconduct tribunal was scheduled to address accusations regarding his actions, a police chief resigned.
The chief constable of Staffordshire Police, Chris Noble, was suspended in August of last year after the police watchdog opened an investigation into his extracurricular activities.
Additionally, he was being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for allegedly disclosing private information for non-policing purposes.
Following that, Mr. Noble was charged with violating police standards in three areas: discreditable behaviour, a lack of effort, and a lack of integrity.
He resigned a few hours before he was scheduled to appear before a gross misconduct hearing in Staffordshire on Wednesday.
He was not present when the hearing started, but the panel ordered that as he was being investigated for other issues, no information on his alleged behaviour could be revealed.
“The chair of the panel has directed that no additional information relating to the detail of the allegations can be released at this time,” an IOPC spokesman stated in a recent statement.
“We are still looking into additional claims made against Mr. Noble. For operational reasons, no additional information can be given at this time due to the sensitivity of those issues.
In 2021, Mr. Noble, a former member of the Humberside Police, became the chief constable of Staffordshire. Prior to this, he served as Humberside Police’s assistant chief constable.
In a letter to Staffordshire’s police and crime commissioner, Ben Adams, he announced his retirement.
“I can confirm that yesterday [July 28], I received Chief Constable Chris Noble’s resignation, which I have accepted with immediate effect,” Mr. Adams said in a statement. Becky Riggs will continue to serve as the interim chief constable for Staffordshire Police.
“The misconduct hearing will proceed today as scheduled, in accordance with former officer provisions.” On Wednesday, the panel adjourned the hearing and retired to deliberate its decision.
Ahead of a gross misconduct tribunal concerning his actions, Staffordshire Police’s chief constable resigned.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigated Chris Noble and suspended him in August. In March, the watchdog confirmed that it had launched two more investigations into his actions.
Noble sent a letter of resignation to Ben Adams, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, on Tuesday.
In Noble’s absence, the misconduct hearing started on Wednesday morning but has since been postponed.
When the former chief constable retired in 2021, he was selected to take over as head of Staffordshire Police.
He was Humberside Police’s assistant chief constable before this.
Ben Adams, the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue, and Crime, issued the following statement: “I can confirm that yesterday [28 July], I received Chief Constable Chris Noble’s resignation, which I have accepted with immediate effect.”
“The misconduct hearing will continue today as planned, under former officer provisions.” “Becky Riggs will remain as Staffordshire Police’s acting chief constable.”
According to former officer rules, the misconduct hearing will proceed as scheduled today.
Due to pending misconduct proceedings, Staffordshire Police stated that commenting would not be appropriate.
“The chair of the panel has directed that no additional information relating to the detail of the allegations can be released at this time,” the IOPC stated in a recent statement.
“We are continuing to investigate other allegations related to Mr. Noble.” For operational reasons, no additional information can be given at this time due to the sensitive nature of those issues.