Thames Valley Police chief constable suspension ‘disturbing’, says commissioner

The suspension of Thames Valley Police’s chief constable Jason Hogg is ‘hugely disturbing’ for the force, its police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber has said.

Mr Barber said he had ‘no option’ but to suspend Mr Hogg with immediate effect last week to allow the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate TVP’s most senior officer for alleged gross misconduct.

The police complaints watchdog said it was looking at concerns that between 2016 and 2020 Mr Hogg and another senior TVP officer failed to properly investigate claims an ex-senior officer retained sensitive police information after they left the force.

It added that no criminal offences had been identified in its probe, which began in April 2023, and that disciplinary proceedings would not ‘necessarily’ follow.

Mr Barber spoke about the impact of the suspension on Friday during a meeting of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel at Buckinghamshire Council’s headquarters in Aylesbury.

The elected official told the meeting that members of the IOPC shared a ‘severity assessment’ of an ongoing investigation into Mr Hogg with him on January 16 this year.

He said: “Their judgement of that severity assessment was that, if proven, the allegations into Mr Hogg’s conduct would constitute gross misconduct for failures in carrying out duties and responsibilities and a lack of honesty and integrity and if proven, they would require dismissal.”

Mr Barber added: “On that basis, I felt I had no option other than to suspend the chief constable with immediate effect which I did that day.”
The police and crime commissioner said he had urged the IOPC to conclude its investigation ‘as quickly as possible’.

He added: “Clearly, this is hugely disturbing for Thames Valley Police, it will be concerning for the public and of course it has a huge impact on the individual involved himself.

“I very much hope we can conclude matters as soon as possible on that basis and I stress again that the decision to suspend is a neutral act. It is simply given because of the decision by the IOPC.”

Mr Barber noted deputy chief constable Ben Snuggs was taking on Mr Hogg’s duties until a temporary chief constable is appointed and said he hoped to provide a further update by the end of the month.

The police and crime panel chairman Peter Gammond told councillors at the meeting they would not be allowed to question Mr Barber about the suspension of Mr Hogg.

However, the chairman did ask the police and crime commissioner’ what steps he was taking to bring in a temporary chief constable’.

Mr Barber said he had invited expressions of interest for the position and that the force was seeking legal advice about to proceed.

The official was re-elected as police and crime commissioner for a second term in May last year, representing the Conservative Party.

His role involves holding Thames Valley Police to account, as well as setting its priorities, budget and appointing and dismissing the chief constable.

Thames Valley Police is the largest non-metropolitan force in England and Wales and serves over 2.34 million people across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.