Home Secretary Theresa May dragged into suspension of Lincolnshire Police Chief Neil Rhodes

“Why describe Ms May as being 'dragged' into this affair?

I would hope that, as Home Secretary, she would be asking to be kept up to date with this unprecedented incident at the heart of a Government flagship policy.

But where is the dragging anyway? Mr McCartney has done one of the things he was elected to do, try to demystify a controversial episode with great public interest for the people of his constituency. I can see no request that she intervene in his letter, simply a request for information.

That Mr Rhodes was told he was suspended and escorted from the building on suspension is what would be expected. That he was not told why for so long is entirely unacceptable.

One of the protections we have as citizens is that the police cannot arrest us without giving a reason. Mr Rhodes should have been told immediately what Mr Hardwick's allegation is.

He also deserves to know whether the PCC believed he would tamper with evidence, present a danger to others, interfere with witnesses, or continue committing misdeeds, the only reasons I can think of that would require him to be suspended during investigtion.

If, when told the reason for his suspension, Mr Rhodes was able to clear the matter up immediately, would Mr Hardwick have personally refunded the seven days pay wasted on an inactive Chief Constable?”

“He has a point though. The Conservatives can't force the country to have independent, elected Police Commissioners one minute and then expect the Home Secretary to intefere the next”

“'so why do we really need them' - - - So we'll be happy to pay more on the council tax.”

“@TB78WHlNE

Don't see why I should make an apology, I'm asking a question and making an observation, that his first major act as Police Commisioner is to remove a senior official from his post without any explanation, rather than do something to make the streets safer for the general public.”

“Does anybody care enough to elect Police COmmisionars into office anyway. We have already got a CC,DCC &2ACC in all of the 44 forces in the country anyway, so why do we really need them.”

“No investigation has even been started so how can anyone say whether it is incorrect or not. People just want to know what this is all about, and what the suspension was for.”

“It seems common in the public sector for employment rights to be completely ignored. If they eventually find a reason to sack the Chief Constable it will be odds on that he will win a large settlement in a tribunal because procedure was not followed. If the Chief Constable proves himself innocent it will again cost a large amount of money and then how on earth can he and the IPCC work together?”

“"If the allegation, whatever it may be, proves to be unfounded, or if the action taken against Mr Rhodes is shown to be excessively harsh, can Alan Hardwick be censured or removed from office for an abuse of power ?"

And if the allegation, whatever it may be, proves to be founded and the action taken against Mr Rhodes shown to be entirely appropriate, will you be man enough to admit you were wrong and congratulate Mr Hardwick for a job well done?”

“"If she can and does then clearly the election of PCC's are flawed as is the Office itself."

What a complete and utter non-sequitur. All you've proven is your own rabid opposition to the office, something we're all painfully aware of thanks to all your previous interminable spittle-flecked rants on the subject.”

“The fact that Hardwick says "If the letter from Karl McCartney to Theresa May is asking the Home Secretary to interfere with the legitimate function of an elected representative of the people, I find it remarkable", leads me to believe that even though he received a very small proportion of the vote when elected, he thinks he's untouchable. What an arrogant man, we're better off without him!”