Gloucestershire police chief's misconduct hearing postponed for months
Summary
The public hearing into the alleged gross misconduct of Gloucestershire Constabulary Chief Constable Rod Hansen has been adjourned for legal reasons for at least four and a half months. Chief Constable Hansen, who firmly denies any wrongdoing, was suspended by Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson in October 2024 after allegations relating to a data breach.
Details
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded almost a year ago that the chief constable should face a gross misconduct hearing over allegations he failed to appropriately act on a report of a data breach.
It is alleged that Mr Hansen did not 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 – following a road traffic collision. He is also alleged to have given a false/misleading statement during the course of the investigation into the data breach.
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The IOPC investigation was completed on August 8, 2025. It concluded that Mr Hansen has a case to answer for gross misconduct. And that public hearing into the case began today Thursday, July 16 at the University of Gloucestershire‘s Park Campus in Cheltenham, a neutral venue for all parties.
However, the panel chaired by Roy Wilsher (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services) decided to postpone the hearing due to legal reasons. The panel is considering dates to resume the hearing from December onwards.
Report source: Gloucestershire Live