Mike Veale

Mike Veale is the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police in northeast England. From 2015 until 2018 he was Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, the force responsible for policing Wiltshire and Swindon in the southwest of England. He came to national prominence in 2017 when Wiltshire Police presented the findings of its investigation into alleged sexual abuse by former prime minister Edward Heath.

Life and career

Veale was born in 1965-1966[1] and grew up in Midsomer Norton and Chilcompton, Somerset. He began his policing career as a police cadet aged 16 before joining Avon and Somerset Constabulary as a constable in 1984. He served in Bristol and Somerset before being promoted to Detective Superintendent and transferring to Wiltshire Police where he was promoted to Detective Chief Superintendent as Head of CID. In 2009, Veale was appointed Temporary Assistant Chief Constable and then took up the post of divisional commander. He became Deputy Chief Constable in March 2013 and Chief Constable on 1 June 2015.[2]

Angus Macpherson, the Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner, decided not to renew Veale's contract which had been due to expire in June 2018.[3][4] In January 2018, Veale was appointed Chief Constable of Cleveland Police.[5]

Controversy

In 2015 Veale authorised the Wiltshire force to commence an enquiry, named Operation Conifer, into alleged sexual abuse by former prime minister Edward Heath, whose Salisbury home (prior to his death in 2005) was within the force's area. This reported in September 2017. The enquiry concluded that while many reported accusations against Heath were unfounded, there were seven that would have led to him being questioned under caution. Veale faced public calls for his resignation for a £1.5M investigation of a dead man.[6]

On 10 October 2017, former MP Harvey Proctor who had previously been falsely accused of sexual abuse, criticised Veale for allegedly “trashing” his reputation a second time by reviving claims of an establishment paedophile ring. Veale had called for a fresh inquiry into claims of cover-up and conspiracy in Westminster.[7]

On 11 October 2017, Lord Finkelstein stated in an article headed "This disgraceful chief constable must quit" in The Times newspaper that "the investigation of Heath was naive and disproportionate" and that Veale "should go" for "the attempt to win a public relations battle using the moral authority of the police".[8]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.marlboroughnewsonline.co.uk/news/all-the-news/1593-wiltshire-police-appoint-mike-veale-to-challenging-role-as-the-permanent-deputy-chief-constable
  2. ↑ "Mike Veale". Wiltshire Police. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Wiltshire Police chief constable to quit". BBC News: Wiltshire. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "PCC appoints new Temporary Chief Constable at Wiltshire Police". Wiltshire PCC. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "Police force confirms new chief constable". BBC News: Tees. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  6. ↑ Dodd, Vikram; Morris, Steven (5 October 2017). "Ted Heath would have been questioned over abuse claims, police say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
  7. ↑ https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/police-chief-is-trashing-my-reputation-says-harvey-proctor-8whrglfhx
  8. ↑ Finkelstein, Daniel (11 October 2017). "This disgraceful chief constable must quit". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
Police appointments
Preceded by
Patrick Geenty		 Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police
2015–2018		 Succeeded by
Kier Pritchard
Preceded by
Iain Spittal		 Chief Constable of Cleveland Police
2018-		 Incumbent
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