Cheshire police quizzed again over its officer vetting procedures

Nick Adderley was recently dismissed as chief constable of Northamptonshire for exaggerating his military rank, length of service and achievements.

At Friday's meeting of Cheshire’s police and crime panel, Cheshire East councillor Steve Edgar (Con) said: "It has been reported that he served in Cheshire Police, working his way through the ranks to serve as a senior officer.

Cllr Steve Edgar (Image: Cheshire East Council)

“Can the commissioner assure the panel that the chief constable is looking to see if there could have been any similar acts committed by Mr Adderley when he applied to work in Cheshire?”

A written statement to the panel from Cheshire Police said the force has supported the Independent Office for Police Conduct during its investigation and provided a range of material relating to Mr Adderley’s application to, and time with, Cheshire Police.

It added: "There are currently no further matters being considered by the force in relation to this.”

Panel chair Evan Morris told new Cheshire PCC Dan Price: “The issue here that makes it very relevant is, since the Wayne Couzens affair, we have sought reassurance around vetting, security, procedures of police officers."

Mr Morris said it may be Mr Adderley wasn’t embellishing his military career when he applied to Cheshire Police.

But he added: “Have we really cracked this one?”

PCC Dan Price (Image: PCC office)

Mr Price agreed saying: “The Angiolini report says very clearly, there have been historic gaps in the vetting process and this, to some extent, aligns with that as well, because this is the time period.”

He added: “I would agree that this is not good reading for the policing family across the whole country…

“And I would agree that vetting has to improve.

"But make no mistake about it, this will be something that I am holding the chief constable to account on.”