Under the cosh
Under the cosh
After more details emerge about chief constable Nick Adderley’s military career we take a look at his performance as Northamptonshire's top cop
By Sarah Ward
At the weekend The Sun and the Daily Mail ran similar stories about Northamptonshire’s chief constable Nick Adderley, following up from the Sun scoop last month about his wearing of military medals that were not his own.
The Sun’s latest story included new details of his naval career, disputing Adderley’s claim that he had a decade of military service and instead reporting he had only served for two years as a sailor, doing other jobs and even running a pub before he joined the police. It also attempted to blow out of the water his assertion the South Atlantic Medal (awarded to Falklands’ veterans) he was seen wearing this summer had been given to him by his brother, printing a photo from 2020 of said brother wearing the medal while at a Queensland Police awards ceremony.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the matter which centres around the misrepresentation of his military service and communication he has had with the police, fire and crime commissioner. Northamptonshire Police said yesterday it would not comment on The Sun’s claims while the official investigation took place.
If Nick Adderley is found guilty of gross misconduct by the IOPC his position as chief constable may become untenable. In charge of Northamptonshire’s policing since July 2018, we take a look at his performance record and lay out what happens next.