No further 
action to be taken against commissioner

In August 2014, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) asked the CPS to consider whether Olly Martins, Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), should face a charge of misconduct in public office.

Luke Bulpitt, a specialist prosecutor with the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “This followed an allegation that Mr Martins made an unauthorised disclosure to his partner, when they were at home, of sensitive information passed to him in his role as PCC.

“After careful consideration and a review of the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors, the CPS has decided that there is insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.”

He added: “In any case of misconduct in public office, we would have to show that any disclosure of information was serious enough to amount to an abuse of the public’s trust, particularly regarding the extent and likely consequences of the disclosure. The evidence is not sufficient to establish this.

“As a result, we have advised the IPCC that no further criminal action should be taken.

“Any decision by the CPS does not imply any finding concerning guilt or criminal conduct; the CPS makes decisions only according to the test set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors and it is applied in all decisions on whether or not to prosecute.”