UK police authority 'respond to Soham report issues'

Humberside Police Authority has sent a report to the British Home Secretary detailing its response to issues raised by the Bichard inquiry into the Soham murders, it confirmed today.

David Blunkett demanded a response “on the very serious and substantial issues” raised in the report that severely criticised Humberside Police and its Chief Constable David Westwood.

The Bichard Report, published on June 22, prompted Mr Blunkett to order the police authority to suspend Mr Westwood.

A spokeswoman for the Humberside Police Authority said the report had been sent by courier and was due to arrive at the Home Office by mid-afternoon.

She was unable to say how long the report was but said it contained a six-page letter from authority chairman Colin Inglis, who backed the suspended police chief.

Sir Michael Bichard’s inquiry uncovered a string of failures which allowed Soham childkiller Ian Huntley to get a job as a school caretaker despite having a string of sex allegations recorded against him when he lived in Humberside.

Huntley went on to murder 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in August 2002.

Following a 10-day stand-off between Mr Blunkett and the authority – which refused to suspend Mr Westwood – the Home Secretary finally got his way last Friday following a High Court ruling.

Mr Justice Stanley Burnton ordered the authority to suspend the chief constable “forthwith” following a short hearing in London ruling that it was “in default of its statutory duty“.

It remains to be seen whether Mr Westwood will lose his job.

Under laws drawn up by Mr Blunkett in 2002, Humberside Police Authority had until today to produce its comments on the issues raised by the Bichard report.

Mr Blunkett can require the chief constable to retire or resign “in the interests of efficiency or effectiveness“.

A Home Office spokesman said there were no plans to comment on the Humberside Police Authority report at this stage.