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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Gwent chief constable told to quit by police commissioner | Gwent chief constable told to quit by police commissioner |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Gwent's police and crime commissioner had admitted he ordered the force's chief constable, Carmel Napier, to retire or be forced out of office. | Gwent's police and crime commissioner had admitted he ordered the force's chief constable, Carmel Napier, to retire or be forced out of office. |
| Ian Johnston claimed Ms Napier was hostile to the appointment of police commissioners and that the relationship "was never going to work." | Ian Johnston claimed Ms Napier was hostile to the appointment of police commissioners and that the relationship "was never going to work." |
| He spoke out after South Wales Argus obtained leaked documents. | He spoke out after South Wales Argus obtained leaked documents. |
| MP Paul Flynn said the situation was an "absolute disgrace". Mrs Napier has not yet responded. | |
| Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Mr Johnston, a former chief superintendent, said: "I had a civilised discussion with the chief constable. I thought we had an agreement that she would retire and access her pension and lump sum and we'd both call it a day. | |
| "But obviously somebody has leaked this document to the (South Wales) Argus and it's not me and it's not my staff. | "But obviously somebody has leaked this document to the (South Wales) Argus and it's not me and it's not my staff. |
| "I'm not going to deny that the meeting took place, I'm not going to deny the details in the Argus are not true." | |
| Speaking after Mr Johnston's attack on the former police chief, Newport West MP Paul Flynn said that it would be disgraceful if Mrs Napier's talents had been lost "because of the arrogance of a PCC who is a retired policeman anyway, with old-fashioned ideas". | Speaking after Mr Johnston's attack on the former police chief, Newport West MP Paul Flynn said that it would be disgraceful if Mrs Napier's talents had been lost "because of the arrogance of a PCC who is a retired policeman anyway, with old-fashioned ideas". |
| On Mr Johnston, he said: "I find him very uninspiring as a person and as a PCC and I believe he was out to get rid of the chief constable. | |
| "I believe if there's any demoralisation of the force it's because the chief constable has been removed. There's a great deal of loyalty to the chief constable. | "I believe if there's any demoralisation of the force it's because the chief constable has been removed. There's a great deal of loyalty to the chief constable. |
| "I believe that Ian Johnston listens only to those voices he wants to hear." | "I believe that Ian Johnston listens only to those voices he wants to hear." |
| However, Mr Johnston insisted he had done everything within his power to make the relationship work. | However, Mr Johnston insisted he had done everything within his power to make the relationship work. |
| But he claimed Mrs Napier had lost the confidence of her officers, that her managerial style was "unacceptably dismissive, abrupt and unhelpful" and she had failed appropriately to manage internal and external relations as well as being "deeply hostile" to the commissioner's role. | |
| The two had had public disagreements over recent crime figures and had also clashed over the closure of several police station front desks in the force area. | The two had had public disagreements over recent crime figures and had also clashed over the closure of several police station front desks in the force area. |
| "The public disagreement, which has been going on for some time but has only appeared in the media in recent months, is much broader than the crime statistics themselves," he added. | "The public disagreement, which has been going on for some time but has only appeared in the media in recent months, is much broader than the crime statistics themselves," he added. |
| "My view, and it's obviously not shared by the retired chief constable, was that the crime statistics were being managed in such a way that we were obsessed with reducing the level of recorded crime and we had actually forgotten that we were here to serve the public of Gwent." | |
| In the leaked documents, Mr Johnston told Mrs Napier she had lost the confidence of her officers and staff. | |
| He claimed that as a former police detective, he would not have made the accusations "if I didn't have the evidence to prove them" and denied, when challenged, that his own managerial style was at fault. | He claimed that as a former police detective, he would not have made the accusations "if I didn't have the evidence to prove them" and denied, when challenged, that his own managerial style was at fault. |
| Mr Johnston insisted he made "huge" efforts to make their relationship work, saying he "compromised on everything I got a downright refusal on" for more than five months. | Mr Johnston insisted he made "huge" efforts to make their relationship work, saying he "compromised on everything I got a downright refusal on" for more than five months. |