Police chief hits out over inquiry into training cash

Adam Briggs said the public would question why North Yorkshire Police Authority spent "valuable time and resource" inquiring into whether he had broken contract regulations.

The deputy's outspoken comments followed the release of a police authority statement which said he had not followed procurement rules by failing to seek prior approval for the spending and failing to obtain prior approval to waive the need to obtain quotations from at least three different training companies.

Mr Briggs said he believed the matter had been dealt with two years ago when chief constable Grahame Maxwell gave him "informal advice" when he was "granted retrospective approval".

"In short, I should have filled a form in at the time and I accept that," he added.

"Now, at a time in which the force is faced with making hundreds of people redundant and operating on a greatly reduced budget, I'm sure the public are left wondering why valuable time and resource has been used up resurrecting a matter that was dealt with properly and effectively two years ago."

The police authority responded tersely with a second statement which said: "The authority hopes that Mr Briggs is not suggesting that, during times of public expenditure constraints, police authorities should deal with potential inappropriate behaviour on the part of senior officers in any way other than openly, transparently and proportionately.

It also said: "It is a key part of the police authority's duties to ensure that, where there is an indication that a chief police officer might not have acted to the high standards expected of public figures in whom the public place great trust, then those matters are looked into, with integrity and impartiality.

"It consumed very little resources in doing so and the matter has been concluded relatively quickly."

Earlier, the authority released the findings of its ethics and standards board on the two-year executive coaching programme Mr Briggs began in November 2007.

It concluded: "The authority has decided to record the apparent non-compliance with procurement rules as a conduct issue and to write to DCC Briggs to reiterate the chief constable's previous advice to him."

The advice was Mr Briggs needed to be "scrupulous in following proper processes".

The board also found the one-to-one coaching was designed for Mr Briggs' policing role and it was appropriate to be paid for by the force rather than from the deputy's 10,000 salary allowance for personal development costs.

The same board meeting also cleared the chief constable of an allegation that he breached recruitment regulations by trying to help Mr Briggs's wife, a West Yorkshire officer, obtain a transfer to North Yorkshire shortly before he became chief in May 2007.