Embattled by a PR year in 2024 it would probably rather forget, Gloucestershire Police was in the headlines for the wrong reasons again yesterday with the report of the summary sacking of a plain-clothes officer for having sex with a teenage girl.

But ostensibly better news surfaced today when the office of the Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner issued a statement indicating that the Chief Constable's suspension has been lifted after a "change in circumstances".

Chris Nelson, the county's Police and Crime Commissioner, suspended Rod Hansen in October 2024 in the wake of a gross misconduct notice issued by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Mr Nelson has now indicated that he has agreed to lift the suspension, with Mr Hansen deployed to a non-public facing position in another area of the county force's work.

The decision will not affect the ongoing IOPC investigation, though, with Maggie Blyth remaining as interim Chief Constable.

Alongside his chief of staff, Gary Thompson, Mr Hansen was suspended in October while an investigation into alleged gross misconduct was instigated. The probe surrounds the handling, by both policemen, of an allegation of computer misuse and a potential data breach by another member of staff.

● Punchline-Gloucester.com has requested a full statement from the Office of the Police Commissioner.