Chief constable of Staffordshire Police quits hours before he was due to face misconduct hearing

The chief constable of Staffordshire Police has resigned hours before he was due to face a gross misconduct hearing regarding his behaviour.

Chris Noble was suspended in August last year amid inquiries by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). In March the IOPC announced it had opened two more investigations regarding his behaviour.

Mr Noble resigned on Tuesday (July 28) in a letter to the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, Ben Adams.

The misconduct hearing began on Wednesday morning in Mr Noble's absence and has since been adjourned.

He replaced Gareth Morgan who retired in 2021, having previously served as assistant chief constable of Humberside Police.

In a statement Mr Adams said: "I can confirm I received Chief Constable Chris Noble's resignation, which I have accepted with immediate effect.

"Becky Riggs will remain as Staffordshire Police's acting chief constable.

"The misconduct hearing will continue today as planned, under former officer provisions."

Staffordshire Police said that it would not be appropriate to comment due to ongoing misconduct proceedings.

In a recent statement, the IOPC said: "The chair of the panel has directed that no additional information relating to the detail of the allegations can be released at this time.

"We are continuing to investigate other allegations relating to Mr Noble. Given the sensitivity of those matters, for operational reasons, no further information can be provided at this time."

Mr Noble, who had previously served as commander for Belfast City policing district, with responsibility for overt counter-terrorism policing, had denied any wrongdoing.

He was first reported to the police watchdog in 2024, but further allegations made after that “met the threshold” for suspension, Mr Adams said in August.

Mr Adams previously said the allegations were not work-related and pre-dated Mr Noble's time at Staffordshire Police.

Last year the IOPC said it received referrals in April, June and July which raised “serious concerns” over Mr Noble's behaviour outside of his work duties, and was investigating separate allegations over whether he shared confidential information “without proper policing purposes”.