THE former chief constable of Police Scotland has reportedly secured a new job inspecting forces south of the border despite quitting amid bullying claims.
Phil Gormley, who stood down in February while facing five misconduct probes, is to become an inspector of constabulary in England and Wales, the BBC has reported.
He quit after saying it would have been impossible to return to work after half a year on special leave, and always denied any wrongdoing.
However the investigations into his behaviour were never concluded.
Read more: Iain Macwhirter: 'This is no way to run an amusement arcade let alone a nation's police force'
Unlike in England, where officers can be pursued for gross misconduct after they resign or retire, in Scotland the police watchdog automatically dropped its investigations when he quit.
Mr Gormley, a former chief constable of Norfolk Constabulary, took up the £212,000 role at Police Scotland in January 2016, but was soon the subject of multiple complaints.
By July last year, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) has launched a probe into alleged misconduct, following a referral by the force’s oversight body, the Scottish Police Authority.
After further complaints from senior staff followed, he stepped aside as chief constable in September 2017.
His wife suggested in a newspaper interview he was being treated as an “outsider” because he was English.
Read more: Bullying allegations surrounding Chief Constable Phil Gormley, explained
It is understood his new role will involve assessing and reporting on the efficiency and effectiveness of 12 police forces in the north of England and will start on October 22.
From 2003 to 2007, Mr Gormley was a Commander in the Metropolitan Police, overseeing special branch at a time when the shadowy Special Demonstration Squad was in operation.
The unit employed controversial tactics including officers using the identities of dead children and having serious relationships with members of groups they were spying on.
Mr Gormley has denied any knowledge of the methods, which are now the major focus of a public inquiry into undercover policing.
If confirmed, Mr Gormley’s new role would be with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).
The body is headed by HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services Sir Tom Winsor.
In addition, there are currently four HM Inspectors of Constabulary. Mr Gormley would be the only HM Inspector to have worked as a police officer.
The HMICFRS website said that inspectors are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Home Secretary and Prime Minister.
As independent holders of public office under the Crown, appointed under Royal Warrant, they are neither civil servants nor police officers.
Mr Gormley's predecessor as chief of Police Scotland Sir Stephen House also left the job amid controversy over the death of a woman who was left critically injured in a car wreck for three days.
Sir Stephen House exited in 2015 following outrage over the deaths of Lamara Bell, 25, and her partner John Yuill, 28, who lay undiscovered in a vehicle near Stirling despite a call from a member of the public.
He was brought to Scotland Yard in March to tackle disclosure of evidence as several hundred rape cases were reviewed by the force.
It was announced earlier this month that he will become Deputy Commissioner in the New Year.
Mr Gormley’s former deputy, Iain Livingstone, was confirmed as Police Scotland’s new chief constable in August
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel