A CRAVEN ward councillor who serves on a police watchdog committee says the mystery over an independent investigation into the conduct of retired Chief Constable Mark Gilmore needs to be cleared up before his replacement is appointed.

Mr Gilmore informed the office of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, last week that he was retiring with immediate effect.

It was revealed that announcement followed the conclusion of an independent investigation by the Lancashire Constabulary into conduct issues arising out of a criminal inquiry into allegations against Mr Gilmore, and others, by the Northern Ireland Police Service, where he previously worked.

The criminal investigation found Mr Gilmore, who always denied any wrongdoing, had no case to answer. He had been suspended on full pay when the Northern Ireland allegations came to light in June 2014.

His suspension was lifted but Mr Gilmore was seconded to the National Police Chiefs’ Council while the independent investigation was carried out, with Dee Collins continuing as temporary West Yorkshire Chief Constable.

The Lancashire Police findings have not yet been revealed and it is likely to be several weeks before they are made public. Mr Burns-Williamson is currently on leave.

Craven Bradford-district councillor Andrew Mallinson, a member of the police and crime panel, which oversees the PCC, said the issue would be high on the agenda at the next panel meeting.

Cllr Mallinson said: “Some would say Mr Gilmore’s retirement is not before time. One of the frustrations has been that we have had two people in post but only one doing the job.

“It seems to have taken an inordinate amount of time for the independent investigation to come to some conclusion. To get to that point and then retire seems very strange.

“I am sure Mr Burns-Williamson wants to clear the situation, we need to do that before any appointment is made. There will be residents across West Yorkshire who don’t know what has gone on. We need some understanding of the process that has taken place. We need to be clear everything has been investigated and done properly.”

Fellow panel member, Councillor Tariq Hussain, said a new Chief Constable needed to be in place as soon as possible.

“We should be recruiting that post quickly so we’ve somebody to deal with the issues,” he said.