A while back I wrote to Kent Police authority chief executive Graham Hooper, to express my irritation about inappropriate use of KPA resources, see below details of my email 12/9/11 to the chief executive
Hi Graham Hooper
I am writing to express concern that Kent Police Authority appear to be conducting a political campaign at taxpayer expense.
As evidenced by these two “news items” from your website this on 16th August (click) and more recently this from the 24th August** which are critical of government plans to introduce directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
We’re all entitled as citizens of this country to hold and express political views, however, as I understand it, that doesn’t extend to public authorities, using resources paid for by the public, to provide services for the community.
I’d appreciate it if you could pass this on to Anne Barnes and her fellow appointees on the KPA.
Cheers tony flaig Bignews Margate
** The item from the 24th August has now been removed from the KPA website**
Having now read this weekends copy of the Kent on Sunday, I see that the chief executive Graham Hooper has now considered the matter and according to the paper had this to say about complaints " in my capacity as monitoring officer for the authority with a number of actions. These included reminding the members of their responsibilities under the code of conduct and local authority guidance on publicity."
Not too sure why, details of deliberations into complaints are not available on the Kent Police Authority website which Graham Hooper, informed me were to be "considered by the independently chaired authority Standards Committee", I suppose the KPA are acting in the best interests of the public, I mean you can't have the public getting to involved in the machinations of Kent Police Authority, crikey it could lead to people coming to the conclusion that maybe elected Police Crime Commissioners are not such a bad idea after all, I mean at least, we get to choose, who we think might, question the performance of the police.
It will be interesting to see if members of the Kent Police Authority comment, particularly Anne Barnes the Chair of the Authority, also whether they actually make public the findings of their "Standards Committee"I think they should.
I presume that KCC is also excluded from conducting political campaigns at Tax payers expense. I will watch with interest in the future when the council leader bangs his drum.
ReplyDeleteYou need tenacity Tony.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, when the Standards Cttee of TDC sat to consider complaints against Cllr Wm Hayton some ten years ago, it was only with tenacity that I found out the evidence file had been withheld from the Standards Cttee.
When the Standards Cttee of KPA sat to consider the complaint that their member Wm Hayton had phoned a Thanet resiodent to dissuade his evidence concerning paramilitary live fire training at 6th Thanet Gun Range. Tenacity again seemed to show that what the Standards Cttee of KPA considered was the Chief Exec Mark Gilmartin's "Summary" of the complaint which had morphed into "Pauve wee Willie Hayton only refised to support the complainant in a Court case he was bringing". Where the hell did "Court case" come from ?
As you know recently retired Det Chief Supt Nick Biddis phoned me and we enjoyed a lively exchange of views for 35 minutes concerning the 1996 murder of retired MI5 officer Ken Speakman in Ramsgate. A member of 6th Thanet Gun Range.
And as far as former KPA member Cllr Hayton is concerned the complaint would now extend to conspiring against the proper inquiry into the murder of Ken Speakman.
The more serious it gets the more TDC, police and KPA commit to denial and cover up.
And it don't get a lot more serious than matters of murder and training of Al Quedda suspects at English gun ranges. (Scotland Yard lines of inquiry announced in press post 9.11).
Did Kent Police co-operate with the Scotland Yard inquiries announced in press into the training of Al Quedda suspects at English gun ranges ? Or were they turkeys avoiding a vote for Christmas ?