Taxpayer could pick up bill for Bettison legal fight

MPs in West Yorkshire and Merseyside last night reacted angrily to the potential use of public money by Sir Norman, who receives a salary of £225,000 as West Yorkshire’s Chief Constable and previously received a tax-free lump sum of £328,000 after he retired as Merseyside chief.

The fall-out from the independent report into the Hillsborough disaster has already led to calls for Sir Norman, who faces allegations of involvement in a police cover-up, to be suspended and there were more developments yesterday when the Attorney General announced he will apply for the original accidental death verdicts on the 96 Liverpool fans to be quashed.

Sir Norman will be able to use legal insurance provided by the Chief Police Officers Staff Association (CPOSA) to pay for his costs in relation to any disciplinary action he may face. The insurance, which is funded by contributions from police authorities nationwide, may also help with defence funding for any alleged criminal offences and any involvement Sir Norman has at fresh inquests.

Dewsbury Tory MP Simon Reevell said it was “absolutely wrong” for taxpayers to be footing Sir Norman’s legal bills while Merseyside MP Maria Eagle described the arrangement as “extraordinary” given his pay and pension.

Alec Shelbrooke, Tory MP for Elmet and Rothwell, said chief constables received large salaries and had to take responsibility for their actions. “This is a cop-out of responsibility. We can’t have a situation where chief constables can do what they want and then get taxpayers to pick up the tab.”

Criticism of the CPOSA scheme comes after Grahame Maxwell ran up a £250,000 legal bill when defending gross misconduct proceedings as North Yorkshire chief, before admitting the charge on the eve of a disciplinary hearing. Sean Price was able to do similar when using the fund to defend a gross misconduct case which ended in his sacking from Cleveland Police earlier this month.

The Yorkshire Post has previously revealed taxpayers are providing up to £750,000 year to fund the CPOSA scheme. In the current financial year, police authorities are paying £2,197 for each of 
CPOSA’s 350 members who are made up of assistant chief constables upwards plus some senior civilian officials. The police authority contributions nearly doubled in 2012/13, in the wake of the costs in Mr Maxwell’s case.

It has now emerged individual officers can claim up to £250,000 for a single case but the policy extends to up to £1m for an officer claiming for a number of separate cases. Sir Norman, who has denied any wrongdoing, did not respond to a request to comment.

The Chief Constable faces an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation into allegations he was involved in a South Yorkshire Police “cover-up” following the 1989 disaster. He is facing a second IPCC investigation for allegedly trying to improperly “influence” West Yorkshire Police Authority’s initial decision to refer him to the police watchdog last month.

Meanwhile, Liverpool MP Steve Rotheram said the Attorney General’s move to quash the inquest verdicts “marks one of the biggest steps forward in the fight for justice for the families in 23 years”. The MP said the decision of Dominic Grieve QC raised the possibility of different verdicts “which the families have always believed should have reflected the unlawful killing of their loved ones”.