Crime chief to apologise for messages

Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has said he will write a written apology over comments he made about travellers.

Conservative Jason Ablewhite was reported over private Facebook messages made seven years ago which made reference to “pikeys.”

And although the Independent Police Complaints Commission decided it did not need to investigate the comments, a county police and crime panel has called on him to apologise.

The panel recommended that Mr Ablewhite send the complainant a written apology, invite the complainant to a meeting and engage with representatives of the traveller community.

The commissioner’ s comments, which also included remarks about “Spanish asylum seekers” found in an “inflatable grotto lorry,” first came to light shortly before he was elected in May.

At the time Mr Able white said the remarks to friends were just “banter,” but he has agreed to follow up on the panel’s recommendations.

He said:-“I am pleased that the review of this complaint has now been concluded and I accept the recommendations the panel have made.

“My position remains the same regarding the comments I made. I do accept that comments between myself and fellow councillor son Facebook in 2009 can be interpreted as offensive and I have apologised.”

MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson hit out at the panel’ s decision. In his Peterborough Telegraph column he wrote :“The complain ants – probably publicly funded leftist layabout grievance merchants – hide under the cl oak of anonymity whilst Mr Able white is forced to prostrate himself before the great and the good, whose“investigation” has used up valuable time and money better deployed supporting our local police in tackling crime and criminals.”

Jason Ablewhite