Nicholas "Nick" Gargan is a former Chief Constable in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, who now runs his own consultancy company, Nick Gargan Consulting.
He was appointed
Chief Constable of
Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Avon and Somerset Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in the five unitary authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, all in South West Englan ...
in March 2013, and immediately embarked upon an ambitious, and (in some quarters) controversial programme of reform. In May 2014 he was suspended because of allegations made by whistleblowers of inappropriate behaviour and comments towards female officers and staff. The ensuing disciplinary panel found him guilty of eight counts of misconduct but recommended that he be reinstated. Following the intervention of the Police and Crime Commissioner, he resigned from his post in October 2015.
Early life
Gargan studied
French and
politics
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
at the
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...
.
Career
Gargan joined
Leicestershire Police
Leicestershire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland in England. Its headquarters are at Enderby, Leicestershire.
History
Leicestershire Police was formed in 1839. In 1951 ...
in 1988 under the Graduate Entry Scheme,
before transferring to
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley region, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in South East England.
It is the largest non-metropolitan police force ...
in 2006.
Gargan moved to the
National Policing Improvement Agency
The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) was a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom, established to support police by providing expertise in such areas as information technology, information sharing, and recruitment.
It was ...
(NPIA) in early 2010 as Deputy Chief Executive,
and became Acting
Chief Executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
and Acting
Chief Constable when Chief Constable
Peter Neyroud began a Home Office project in September 2010. He oversaw the transfer of its functions into other policing bodies before its disestablishment.
Gargan was awarded the
Queen's Police Medal
The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...
in the
New Year's Honours List 2012.
He was forced to return the Honour in 2017 for bringing the police service into disrepute.
Chief Constable, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Gargan was appointed as
Chief Constable of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary in March 2013, following the retirement of
Colin Port.
Suspension
In mid-May 2014, Gargan was suspended by
Police and Crime Commissioner
A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...
Sue Mountstevens
Susan Robertson, (née Mountstevens; born 1955) is a British independent politician. From November 2012 to May 2021, she served as the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner. She is the first person to hold the post and was first elect ...
, as a result of allegations of 'inappropriate behaviour towards female officers and staff'. The enquiry into the allegations was referred to the
Independent Police Complaints Commission
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was a non-departmental public body in England and Wales responsible for overseeing the system for handling complaints made against police forces in England and Wales.
On 8 January 2018, th ...
(IPCC).
During the period of Gargan's suspension and following his resignation, the force was led by the
Deputy Chief Constable, John Long, and subsequently by Gareth Morgan, following Long's retirement
On 9 July 2015, Gargan was found guilty of eight counts of misconduct, none of which related to the original allegations. During the course of the investigation, which lasted more than 16 months, the IPCC found that he had sent inappropriate messages from his work phone, improperly interfered with a recruitment process and passed on confidential e-mails. All charges of gross misconduct, and of inappropriate behaviour, were dismissed. The disciplinary panel found they did not justify dismissal: consequently they recommended that he return to work. In line with the panel's recommendations, his suspension was immediately lifted and a phased return to his role leading Avon and Somerset Constabulary was planned. However, there was vocal local resistance to the idea of Gargan returning to work: the Police Federation of England and Wales issued a statement questioning whether the public could have "confidence in his leadership" following the guilty findings of the misconduct case, and a petition was set up campaigning for his resignation. Three former Chief Constables of Avon & Somerset Police called for his resignation on 6 August 2015 saying “Leadership should be inspiring and not an embarrassment.”
Ultimately, it was felt that the duration of Gargan's suspension made his position untenable. On 16 October 2015, Gargan resigned from Avon and Somerset Constabulary. He was awarded three months' salary
in lieu of notice.
Over the course of Gargan's suspension and immediately following his resignation a number of local MPs questioned the handling of the situation, the length of time the investigation took (at considerable expense to the tax-payers of Avon and Somerset), and the way the local media, and social media, contributed to the ending of his career in policing, calling the process a "witch-hunt" and "trial by media". The issue was the subject of a House of Commons Debate called by the MP for North East Somerset Jacob Rees-Mogg on 29 October 2015. There was also suspicion that the allegations and public campaign against Gargan had been orchestrated by elements within Avon and Somerset and more widely across policing who resented his leadership style. The case is seen to have highlighted weaknesses and risks within the current legislation that defines the respective roles and responsibilities of PCCs and Chief Constables, as well as raising questions about the remit and competence of the IPCC, as detailed in a blog by Gavin Hales, Deputy Director of criminal justice think-tank The Police Foundation.
Post-police career
Gargan took up a four-month contract with the global security company
G4S
G4S is a British multinational private security company headquartered in London, England. The company was set up in July 2004 when London-based Securicor amalgamated with Danish firm Group 4 Falck. The company offers a range of services, in ...
in December 2015, as a programme director in its justice health division.
He subsequently established Nick Gargan Consulting. As of 2021, he is a board member at Enlighten.Org. Gargan was stripped of his Queen’s Police Medal in 2017 by the Honours Forfeiture Committee for disreputable conduct.
Honours
References
External links
Avon and Somerset Police Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gargan, Nick
Living people
Alumni of the University of Leicester
British Chief Constables
People stripped of a British Commonwealth honour
Year of birth missing (living people)