This blog is mainly about the governance and future of policing and crime services. (Police & Crime Commissioners feature quite a lot.) But there are also posts about the wider justice system. And because I am town councillor and political activist, local & national issues are covered a little, as well.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

We are here again?

I really did not expect this from the IPCC but it seems as if two police officers are to face disciplinary hearings for their part in the #plebgate affair:
Aug 10, 2015
Two police officers will face misconduct hearings over their conduct following a meeting with Andrew Mitchell MP at his Sutton Coldfield constituency office in October 2012.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) completed an independent investigation in May into the conduct of three Police Federation representatives over allegations they gave misleading accounts of the meeting with Mr Mitchell to media soon afterwards...
I did an analysis of the matter nearly two years ago and it has become one of the most looked at (and hopefully read!) posts on this blog.
Angels Dancing on a Bicycle
The question being debated now is whether Mr Mackaill gave a false or misleading representation of the meeting that he and his colleagues had just had. (The BBC website link above gives the background on this, including views from the IPCC and this morning the West Midlands PCC released a statement, accessible here.)
In summary, having read the transcript of the meeting I do not see any incompatibility between Mr Mackaill's statement and what ground the meeting covered.
So I cannot fathom why on earth, the IPCC have dragged this up again. I look forward to seeing more details of what they are accused of...