Police chief in Heath probe fiasco moves to new force
THE chief constable who led the disastrous inquiry into alleged child abuse by Sir Edward Heath is to take over another force.
Mike Veale, 50, is leaving Wiltshire Police after 13 years to take command of Cleveland Police.
The decision will come as a surprise to many colleagues, who expected him to retire after a 34-year career.
Mr Veale has already built up a finalsalary pension of at least £2million, from which he could draw £80,000 a year.
His pay package at Cleveland Police has not been finalised, but his predecessor earned £152,354 last year, plus £34,615 in pension contributions.
The move means one of Britain’s most controversial chief constables will take over a force that is still recovering from
‘Not an easy decision to make’
several corruption scandals. In 2012, Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price was sacked after lying about his role in recruiting the daughter of his former police authority chairman.
Last year, a former officer was paid compensation of £500,000 after being bullied for challenging racism and wrongdoing among colleagues.
Mr Veale’s contract was due to expire this summer and was not being renewed by Wiltshire police and crime commissioner Angus Macpherson.
In November, Mr Veale denied claims that he was planning to resign after applying unsuccessfully to run a course for aspiring chief officers.
In a statement he said: ‘The suggestion that I am about to quit the force is simply not true. I remain fully committed to Wiltshire Police.’ Mr Veale faced criticism for his handling of accusations of historical child sex abuse by former prime minister Sir Edward.
The inquiry, known as Operation Conifer, was labelled a ‘witch-hunt’ and senior colleagues questioned the £1.5million cost of the investigation, which ran for two years from 2015.
Mr Veale insisted Sir Edward would have been questioned over sex abuse claims if he had been alive when they came to light. But his report was widely seen as seeking to justify a police inquiry based on the evidence of dubious anonymous witnesses.
His new role will be confirmed by members of the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel on January 23.
Mr Veale said: ‘It has been a very difficult decision to make, after serving here in Wiltshire for 13 years and the wider West Country for almost 34 years.
‘However, I feel it is the right time for a new challenge and it is for that reason that I plan to make this move.
‘I would like to publicly thank my officers and staff for their unwavering support during my tenure as Wiltshire Police chief constable.’
Mr Macpherson praised him for his ‘unwavering commitment’, adding that he has been an ‘excellent chief constable’. He said: ‘I know this has not been an easy decision for Mike to make.’
Barry Coppinger, police and crime commissioner for Cleveland Police, said Mr Veale has faced some ‘extremely difficult and complex policing challenges’.
He said the Wiltshire chief constable ‘has never shied away from tough decisions in the best interests of justice’.