Police chief vows to stay on despite Soham pressures

Humberside Police chief constable David Westwood insisted today he would not be resigning from his post despite pressure in the aftermath of the Soham murder case.

Mr Westwood said he would remain in his role to fulfil a promise to the parents of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman “to put things right”.

The Humberside police force was expected to come in for severe criticism in the Bichard Inquiry report.

The force deleted records of nine sex allegations made against killer Ian Huntley.

Speaking today at Priory Road police station in Hull, Mr Westwood said: “I gave a personal commitment to the parents of Holly and Jessica and to the police authority here, to the public here and the Home Secretary that I would put things right.

“I am the person who knows intimately, because I know in great detail, what went wrong. I am the person who needs to be here to put things right and that’s what I intend to do.

“We are getting on with the job and the results are coming through.”

Mr Westwood added that there had been “massive changes” across the force since the Soham murders.

Files, such as those on Huntley, are no longer being deleted.