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Nick Gargan: Avon and Somerset chief constable quits job Nick Gargan: Avon and Somerset chief constable quits job
(35 minutes later)
A suspended chief constable is to quit his job after being found guilty of misconduct. A suspended chief constable has quit his job after being found guilty of eight counts of misconduct.
Nick Gargan was suspended last year and was later found to have "repeatedly breached data protection principles". Avon and Somerset's Nick Gargan was found to have "breached data protection" rules and stored "intimate" material on his police-issue phone.
An investigation also found the Avon and Somerset chief stored "intimate" material on his police-issue phone. The BBC's Steve Brodie said Mr Gargan quit under "intense pressure" from Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens.
Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens had begun proceedings to force him to step down from his job, a move backed by the chief inspector of constabulary. She had begun proceedings to force him to step down, a move backed by the chief inspector of constabulary.
Ms Mountstevens said Mr Gargan had "abused his position" while 24 out of 25 senior officers, of at least superintendent rank, had also passed a vote of no confidence in him.
The PCC said Mr Gargan had been given three months' pay "in lieu of notice as the terms of his contract state".
She added: "This was not a decision I took lightly and I have considered it very carefully however in order to bring the legal proceedings to a close this is the most cost effective outcome."
She said the move would avoid a "protracted and lengthy" legal battle.
"It also means that I can begin the process of recruiting a new Chief Constable as soon as possible and the organisation can move on," she said.
An independent panel had recommended Mr Gargan be allowed to return to work despite finding him guilty of misconduct.
The Chief Police Officers Staff Association, on behalf of Mr Gargan, previously said he had "complied with every requirement of the protracted misconduct investigation and subsequent hearing" and had apologised for misconduct.
"He placed his fate in the hands of an expert professional panel, which made a clear recommendation that he should go back to work."
Temporary Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said