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2.7 The Connétable of St. Helier of the Minister for Home Affairs regarding the duration and cost of the suspension of the Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police:
Would the Minister state the duration and cost of the suspension of the Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police and advise when he expects the investigation to be completed?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
The suspension began back in November, so that means we are now coming up to 8 months. The cost to date of the Wiltshire Police investigation to 30th June totalled, and of other costs of acting up for officers, £384,070, of which £63,903 was acting up and cover costs. My current information is that the report in relation to initial matters being investigated by the Wiltshire Police may not now be available before September.
- The Connétable of St. Helier :
Could the Minister confirm whether that £384,000 includes the salary of the officer who is being suspended?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
No, it does not because other people have been replacing him and there are replacement costs of acting up, which is the £63,903. If we were to count the salary of the officer being suspended we would be double counting.
- The Connétable of St. Helier :
Could the Minister confirm that the Head of States H.R. (Human Resources) involved in the original suspension has now left the States employment and will this person be interviewed by the investigators into the original suspension?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
That is correct, that the original officer has left the States of Jersey. The answer to the second question, I would think no, because they are not investigating the circumstances of the original suspension.
- The Deputy of St. Martin :
Can I ask the Minister where is this money coming from and from what fund? It seems to be here we are going to head up towards at least £500,000 before this case is even finished. We have also got £1 million for the suspension of Dr. Day. I think the public are getting rather concerned, the amount of money being spent on getting
nowhere with suspensions. Can the Minister not find a way to speed this process up?
Obviously this was clearly ready by the end of June. Now it is on to September; it
could well be Christmas. It could well be way past the retirement date of the current police chief and it is looking as though it is almost a conspiracy to ensure the man will never come back to work.
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
There are about 5 questions there; I am not sure I can remember all 5 of them. The Deputy of St. Martin is not right on the date of retirement of the police chief, which is not at the end of this year; it is the end of next year. The answer in relation to where this is being paid from, thus far out of the historical abuse inquiry funds. Indeed, when we have the proposition later on for transfers of monies to cover this I will be making that clear. I am afraid I have now forgotten the other 3 questions.
The Bailiff :
I expect the Deputy has too. The Deputy of St. Martin :
I am only trying to make the point I think the public ... will the Minister agree that the public are getting rather concerned at the amount of public money being spent on people who are suspended?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
Yes, they would and I am also concerned.
- Deputy T.M. Pitman:
I think my question was one of the 5 the Deputy of St. Martin hoped to ask. Could the Minister confirm that in actual fact the Chief of Police will never come back to work and that is why this is just being left to run and run and run?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
I cannot confirm that. We are going through a disciplinary process. I am awaiting reports. I will need to carefully consider those reports. I will need to decide whether to take a full disciplinary hearing. If I do, there are rights of appeal and any final decision is for the States and not for myself.
- The Connétable of St. Helier :
In his closing moments of his last answer to me, the Minister said, almost sotto voce, that the investigators are not investigating the original suspension. Is the Minister saying that the terms of the investigation have shifted from the grounds under which the Chief of Police was originally suspended? Does he not think that is against the rules of natural justice?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
That is not what I am saying at all. I am simply saying that we have not asked the police to investigate whether or not the police chief was properly suspended in the first place. That would be a total waste of public money.
The Connétable of St. Helier :
The person to whom I was referring, the Head of States Human Resources, was closely involved in the decision and gave advice on a decision to originally suspend the Chief of Police of the States of Jersey Police. Is it not logical that that person should be interviewed as part of an inquiry?
Senator B.I. Le Marquand:
No. People are complaining that public money is being wasted on this. I have no wish to waste further public money on side issues.