Allegations against police chief to be heard behind closed doors

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said Grahame Maxwell's disciplinary hearing would be delayed for months if preparations were made for the public to attend.

Mr Maxwell and his deputy Adam Briggs, the two most senior officers at North Yorkshire Police, are alleged to have unfairly helped family members during an officer recruitment campaign.

Proceedings against Mr Briggs, who faces a lesser charge of misconduct, could be concluded next month but the case against Mr Maxwell, who faces dismissal if found guilty, is expected to take up to a year.

The officers, whose five-year fixed-term contracts expire in 2012, have not been suspended by North Yorkshire Police Authority (NYPA).

Mr Maxwell's hearing, to be chaired by a leading barrister, follows an investigation managed by the IPCC into his force's campaign to recruit 60 student officers, which hit problems in February when a phone line crashed as thousands of applicants tried to get through.

Some 350,000 calls were made to the force in a week but it is alleged only a small number of applicants, including relatives of Mr Maxwell and Mr Briggs, were called back.

It is understood that Mr Maxwell, the IPCC and NYPA will all appoint barristers to represent them at the chief constable's hearing.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said Mr Maxwell and Mr Briggs's legal fees would be paid through an insurance policy held by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

The force announced this week that it would not be recruiting any officers for the "foreseeable future".