Police official in ‘gross misconduct’ case quits

Scotland Yard’s communications chief resigned yesterday after the force decided to launch disciplinary proceedings against him over the awarding of a contract to a former News of the World executive.

Dick Fedorcio was facing gross misconduct allegations over the decision to hire the Sunday tabloid’s former executive editor Neil Wallis to provide PR advice for the Metropolitan Police.

An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) concluded that Mr Fedorcio had a “case to answer” over the contract.

The Met paid Mr Wallis’s company Chamy Media £24,000 for communications advice between October 2009 and September 2010.

Mr Fedorcio had been on extended leave from Scotland Yard since August pending the investigation into his relationship with the former News of the World executive, who was arrested on suspicion of phone-hacking last July but has not been charged.

The IPCC’s report will be made public shortly. IPCC deputy chair Deborah Glass said: “Our investigation found that Mr Fedorcio has a case to answer in relation to his procurement of the contract for Chamy Media. Last week the Metropolitan Police Service proposed to initiate proceedings for gross misconduct and I agreed with that proposal.

“In light of Mr Fedorcio’s resignation today, those proceedings cannot now take place and I propose to publish our investigation report detailing our findings in the next few days.”