A Police and Crime Commissioner has accused Police Oracle of relying on ‘hearsay’ in a report that quoted her directly.

Bedfordshire PCC Kathryn Holloway took exception to an article published by this website revealing the force’s HMI had been replaced.

Ms Holloway told a meeting of Bedfordshire Police and Crime panel on December 5 she was “hoping for a sea change” with former rear admiral Matt Parr temporarily stepping in at HMI Zoë Billingham’s request.

Both the PCC and Bedfordshire Chief Constable Jon Boutcher have previously been critical of HMICFRS’s assessments.

The police and crime panel meeting of December 5 is available to listen to via a local authority’s SoundCloud account: Bedfordshire Police and Crime Panel meeting.

Ms Holloway’s comments on the subject, as quoted accurately in Police Oracle, can be heard from 40 minutes 30 seconds.

However, on Friday the PCC took to Twitter to claim:

“Police Oracle - if you want to quote me please have the courtesy to contact me rather than report hearsay or attend the panel for accuracy.

“A Police and Crime Panel is open to the media and public. That is the venue to hear what the PCC has to say or ask for an interview.

“Have spoken to Police and Crime Panel Chair who expressed his horror at the inaccuracy of the Police Oracle report. It will be investigated.”

The chair Paul Cain added: “Very unhappy that Police Oracle have reported panel meeting so inaccurately.”

When an Oracle reporter asked him to outline the inaccuracies - he could not. 

However, as this article was uploaded, the PCC’s claims remained live on Twitter.

A Police Oracle reporter did contact the PCC’s office at the time of writing the initial article only to be told she was unavailable.

During the meeting, Ms Holloway told the police and crime panel: “The chief constable has also made a complaint, we now have the complaint being investigated.

“I can’t say anymore right now because these are matters of legal privilege but I fully intend to set all of the circumstances before you as a panel when I’m able to do so.

“We have a new HMI as a result, and at least in the interim while the independent investigation takes place HMI Billingham will no longer inspect Bedfordshire police.

“I have met with the HMI Matt Parr, as has the chief constable- [it was a ] very, very positive and constructive initial meeting.

“He is a former rear admiral so I’m hoping for a sea change.”

At the time a HMICFRS spokesman said: “Following representations made by the police and crime commissioner and chief constable of Bedfordshire, at HMI Zoë Billingham’s request, inspection responsibility for Bedfordshire Police has been temporarily assigned to HMI Matt Parr.

“HM Chief inspector of Constabulary Sir Thomas Winsor has appointed external legal counsel to assess the representations and report back to him.”