Suspensions of Gloucestershire's two most senior police bosses 'not linked' - watchdog

Rod Hansen (left) was responsible for the suspension of Shaun West (right) in January, before he himself was suspended in October. Credit: Gloucestershire Police

Investigations into two senior police officers in Gloucestershire are not linked, it has been confirmed.

Gloucestershire Police's Deputy Chief Constable Shaun West was suspended from the force in January amid allegations of misconduct. He then retired from the force in June.

It has since been confirmed that Mr West is the subject of a criminal investigation over alleged assaults and misconduct in a public office.

The confirmation of this criminal investigation came just days after Gloucestershire Police revealed its Chief Constable Rod Hansen has also now been suspended.

Mr Hansen is currently being investigated by the the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IPOC) for alleged gross misconduct in relation to a member of staff.

The IOPC has now confirmed to ITV News that the cases of Hansen and West are separate.

In a previous statement, a spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said the investigation into Hansen concerns his handling of an allegation against a member of staff, and whether relevant policies and procedures were subsequently followed.

A spokesperson for the force said: "We understand that both the communities we serve, and our own workforce, will be concerned and unsettled.

"We are continuing to provide the best service we can to our communities, and we would like to assure everyone that frontline policing will not stop, and we will continue to respond to calls from those who need us.

"While the situation is unusual, it isn’t unprecedented, and we’d like to reassure our communities, staff and partner organisations we continue to operate as normal."

Gloucestershire Police said it is unable to comment further on either of the ongoing investigations.