Scottish Police Authority chief '˜to take early retirement'

Scottish Police Authority chief executive John Foley is to take early retirement, the watchdog has confirmed.

John Foley, Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Authority, is to take early retirement. Picture: Andrew Cowan

The departure was announced as the Authority (SPA) set out structural changes it said would ‘make the role in its present form redundant’.

Mr Foley had faced calls to resign after an inspection found ‘shortcomings’ in his capacity to provide expert advice and support to the SPA board.

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Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) concluded this was a ‘fundamental weakness’ in governance arrangements at the SPA.

A second critical HMICS report published in June concluded that the SPA and Police Scotland had failed to deliver improvements to forensic services.

SPA chair Andrew Flanagan announced his resignation earlier that month after MSPs raised serious concerns about transparency at the SPA.

The watchdog said it was now taking steps to ‘strengthen the leadership, visibility and governance’ of forensic services from September.

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This would involve the director of forensic services Tom Nelson reporting directly to the SPA board rather than through the chief executive, cutting the line management and budget responsibilities of the role.

Mr Foley said: “The SPA has continued to evolve and improve since its inception in 2013 and strengthening the governance of forensic services is the next stage of that journey and one I fully support.

“Clearly the revised arrangements have significant implications for the CEO role I currently hold and following detailed discussions with the board since the start of the year I have chosen to seek early retirement.

“It has been an honour and privilege to have served as the first permanent CEO of the SPA for the past four years.

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“I am confident that the authority and policing will continue to improve in the coming years and I want to thank all of the staff and officers who I have had the pleasure of working with over the past four years.”

The SPA said Mr Foley would stay on until the conclusion of the 2016-17 accounts at the end of October adding that the board had ‘agreed a payment to Mr Foley in lieu of his contractual notice, in addition to his eligibility for an early retirement payment’.

The details of the financial package would be made public ‘as soon as practical’ after his leaving date.

The SPA said it would seek a 12-month secondee to act as chief officer.