The force which polices the police has ruled that Rod Hansen, Gloucestershire Constabulary's Chief Constable, must now face proceedings amid a claim of gross misconduct over a data breach response.

After a probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the unit says it will proceed on the matter, which signals progress on a story which Punchline-Gloucester.com first broke almost exactly a year ago when Mr Hansen was removed from his role by county Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson.

Mr Hansen had become the Constabulary's 16th chief constable in 2017, after joining the county's ranks four years previously.

Stressing no implied acceptance of the charge in his decision, Mr Nelson said at the time: "I know that this will come as a shock to many in the county, especially to our hard working officers and staff, and to our partner organisations, but it is right that any allegations are dealt with consistently and investigated properly, thoroughly and swiftly. I have every confidence that the IOPC will do exactly that."

However, it emerged that Mr Hansen was no longer suspended from duties in January this year although that move subsequently led to questions from MPs in Westminster and – three months later, in May – Mr Hansen was subsequently removed from a temporary role.

In the latest step, the IOPC said: "It's alleged Mr Hansen didn't sufficiently act on information passed to him in October 2022 regarding a staff member suspected of carrying out an unauthorised search of police systems - and accessing third party personal data - in relation to a road traffic collision."

The collision in question took place in September 2022, but concerns over Mr Hansen's response to the matter only came to light in 2024, the IOPC said, adding that subsequent to Chris Nelson's referral on August 15 2024, it launched an independent investigation into the allegations on 19 August 2024.

That investigation concluded on 8 August this year, and found that there was a case to answer.

The IOPC ruled: "The gross misconduct allegations relate to potential breaches of the following Police Standards of Professional Behaviour: challenging and reporting improper conduct; discreditable conduct; duties and responsibilities; honesty and integrity; and orders and instructions. We believe a police disciplinary panel could conclude Mr Hansen didn't handle the matter in accordance with the force's own policy and data protection laws."

Amid this investigation, the IOPC says it also received a linked conduct referral for a senior staff member on August 8, 2024, from Gloucestershire Constabulary, in relation to the same incident.https://www.punchline-gloucester.com/searchresult/trouble-at-the-top-grows-for-county-police

A spokesperson said: "Again, we began an independent investigation on August 19, 2024, and have now concluded he also has a case to answer for gross misconduct and should face a separate misconduct hearing.

"It will be for a police disciplinary hearing and a police staff disciplinary hearing, respectively, to ultimately determine whether the gross misconduct allegations are proven."

The IOPC added that all parties have been informed of its decisions, and it will now be for the OPCC and Gloucestershire Constabulary, respectively, to organise disciplinary proceedings.