No charges after £4.6m inquiry into allegations against police

Keith Bristow, director general of the National Crime Agency who led the near four-year inquiry, defended its outcome yesterday but former Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price – who was sacked for gross misconduct – declared it had been a “waste of money”.

Documents released yesterday following the end of Operation Sacristy showed a credit card allocated to Mr Price was used to buy goods and services worth £57,800.40 between March 2006 and June 2011.

There were 30 payments to florists in that period, totalling £1,142.99.

The payments were mostly to hotels and restaurants, including the Marriott Hotel in Denver, and £289.97 to Langan’s Brasserie, London.

There was also £1,350 spent at Race for Furniture, Middlesbrough, and payments of £75 and £80 at The Pen Shop in Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Mr Price explained the flowers were bought for people receiving awards or making presentations at courses and conferences and were “all part of my job”.

The furniture payment was for three chairs for his office – “cheaper than going through (the) force supplier”.

He said the Pen Shop purchases were leaving presents to others and were given on behalf of the force.

He added: “The rest is part of my old job and the same as many of my colleagues.

“After me being on bail for two and half years I would be surprised if (the) investigation did not already know this and if it was wrong have charged me.”

Former Cleveland Police Authority chairman Dave McLuckie claimed more than £123,000 in five years, according to figures released by the force.

The ex-Labour councillor on Redcar and Cleveland Council was jailed last year for perverting the course of justice after it came to light he persuaded a friend to take penalty points for him, so he avoided a driving ban.

Cleveland Police released figures which showed that he claimed £123,124.56 in allowances, subsistence and mileage between 2005 and 2010. He has been told he will not be charged with any criminal offence following the lengthy inquiry.

Operation Sacristy investigated allegations involving disposal of assets, allowances, redundancy payments, hospitality, the receipt of favours, contracts and the misuse of public funds but ultimately fell short of finding evidence to support a criminal prosecution,

Mr Bristow, who was Warwickshire Chief Constable when first asked to lead the inquiry, pointed to the dismissal of Mr Price and former Deputy Chief Constable Derek Bonnard for gross misconduct, along with the resignation of Mr McLuckie as justification.

A statement on behalf of Operation Sacristy said it “identified a lack of ethical leadership and effective governance at the highest levels of Cleveland Police and Cleveland Police Authority.

“There was a multi-lateral breakdown of standards, poor practices and breaches of regulations, policies and procedures.

“Sacristy also found evidence of mismanagement, favouritism and an endemic culture of exploiting hospitality.

“Some very senior individuals in key posts failed in their responsibility to act in an honest and open manner and there was a breakdown of any effective checks 
and balances. Standards of conduct were incompatible with expectations of senior public servants.”

Mr Bristow said: “My decision, in consultation with the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission), to investigate and deal with misconduct matters in such circumstances, before criminal matters, was the right decision and resulted in senior public officials being removed from the public payroll as quickly as legally possible.”

But Mr Price, who was sacked in 2012 after it was found he lied about his role in the recruitment of Mr McLuckie’s daughter, said it was a “disgrace” he had been on bail for two-and-a-half years.