Plebgate row hugely damaging for image of West Midlands Police, admits chief
The fallout from 'Plebgate' has badly hurt the image of West Midlands police, its Deputy Chief Constable Dave Thompson confessed.
He admitted: "In 23 years of policing the last few weeks have been the most disturbing I have experienced. It has been hugely damaging for the force and the police in general."
Mr Thompson was speaking shortly before West Midlands Police Federation representative Detective Sergeant Chris Jones was hauled back in front of a Parliamentary committee to apologise for misleading MPs.
The Deputy Chief Constable said the meeting that Det Sgt Jones and two Federation colleagues from the West Mercian and Warwickshire forces had with Sutton Coldfield Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell – forced to quit as Chief Whip a week later – should never have taken place.
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West Midlands Chief Constable Chris Sims has already made a similar admission in person to Mr Mitchell whose secretly taped recording of his conversation with the three Federation reps showed their public comments after the meeting did not reflect what he had said.
They claimed he refused to elaborate on the earlier events in Downing Street when he got involved in a row with police during which he was supposed to have called them 'plebs' – an allegation he has always denied.
Mr Thompson declined to talk about the role of Det Sgt Jones in the long running saga but warned that there could be changes to the way the force deals with the Federation if similar 'political' issues occurred again. These could include the Chief Constable withdrawing 'facilities' offered to Federation leaders in the West MIdlands force.
Mr Thompson made his admission at a meeting of the Strategic Policing and Crime Board but stressed he thought the integrity of the force remained intact.
Board member Councillor Ernie Hendricks commented: "The West Midlands force did not come out of this particularly well."
His colleague Councillor Brendan Connor added: "We have confused ourselves and confused the public which is a tragedy."
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Bob Jones concluded: "The more and more that is said about this, the more issues arise."
