Police and Crime Panel Uphold Complaint Against PCC

PCC, Festus Akinbusoye Breached the PCC Code of Conduct

Mr Akinbusoye,

“Failed to achieve the level of professional behaviour expected of those in public office as set out in the Nolan principles, with particular reference to the principles of Openness and Leadership.” 

– Bedfordshire PCP Sub-Panel, 25/03/2024

“Several statements made by the Commissioner on social media were disrespectful to members of the public.”

“Statements made by the Commissioner relied upon an unreliable use of statistics.”

False and Malicious Accusation by PCC of Improper Use of Public Funds

“The sub-panel found that there was a strong implication in statements made by the Commissioner on social media, that the complainant, either himself or through his association with Luton Neighbourhood Watch (LNW) had been involved in improper use of public funds.”

Failure to be impartial – referring to the complainant as his “Enemy”

“The sub-panel found that the Commissioner had made statements on social media, in particular a reference to Psalm 59 of the Bible, which implied that the complainant was an enemy.”

Disrespect Towards Others

“The sub-panel found that the Commissioner had made statements on social media which were disrespectful, in particular, his references to certain Elected Members as “so-called Independents”. The sub-panel also found that certain statements made by the Commissioner on social media were unreliable, for example, a statement that Bedfordshire had one of the lowest numbers of police officers per head of population in the country, a fact, apparently not supported by data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).”

Panel Recommendations

1)  That the Commissioner provides the complainant with an apology for the manner in which he has responded to him on public social media platforms. No apology has been issued by Mr Akinbusoye.

2)  That the Commissioner ensures that his future use of social media is carried out in a manner that is more professional and respectful of the public.

3)  That the Commissioner ensures that his future use of data and statistics is accurate and reliable.

Mr Akinbusoye continues to publish untrue and misleading claims of his success as PCC.

LNW Comments

Mr Akinbusoye and his CEO, Anna Villette, have failed to disclose in the past 5 months the reasons why Mr Akinbusoye alleges he stopped funding Luton Neighbourhood Watch; this is a breach of sections 1 and 10 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and this decision discriminates against Luton’s residents.

Blocking or concealing any record held by a public authority, preventing the disclosure of information to which the applicant is entitled, is an offence under section 77 of the FOI Act 2000.

Mr Akinbusoye failed to “promote and maintain high standards of conduct”; this is a breach of section 27 of the Localism Act 2011.

Publishing defamatory statements that cause serious harm to reputation is an offence under the Defamation Act 2013.