Martin McGartland

21 January 2018

Dear Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner,

The following story was published in the Sunday Times newspaper today, ( link / page re story here; https://www.facebook.com/Burglary-arrest... )

Text of the story is as follows:

Burglary arrest of Police chief's singer son 'hushed up'

A Northumbria officer paid compensation to a victim and colleagues deleted records of the £30,000 crime

Tom Harper and Robin Henry, Sunday Times January 21, 2018

A senior police officer's son was arrested on suspicion of burglary - but he was not charged, his father compensated the victim and details of the incident were deleted from the force's database.

Matthew Vant was questioned under caution on suspicion of burglary and criminal damage when he was a 19 year-year old university student after a party at his flat spilt over into a shop downstairs.

Detectives who went to the shop, a Cartridge World in Sunderland, found ink all over the walls, while a vintage record collection and several computers were missing. The investigating officer estimated the damage to be £30,000.

Vant is the lead singer of a punk rock band, also called Vant, who have performed at Glastonbury festival and on BBC Radio 1. His father, Greg, is a former assistant chief constable of Northumbria police.

Following the arrest of his son in November 2009, the force authorised the matter to be settled through the community resolution scheme with the shop owner receiving an apology and £1,000 from Greg Vant, who was still serving at the time. Such settlements do not lead to a criminal record.

When the incident was brought to the attention of senior officers, details of the crime were deleted from internal police databases. The decision is understood to have been an attempt to prevent the incident being leaked to the media.

Information about Vant's arrest was printed off before deletion and secretly retained in the force's safe.

A whistleblower who leaked details of the burglary incident to The Sunday Times said he thought the action taken by senior officers was completely inappropriate. "it seems it is one rule for the public and another for friends of Northumbria Police," said the source.

In 2016, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) received a complaint about the incident. The police watchdog, which changed its name this month to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, launched an independent investigation, which concluded that Greg Vant had no case to answer. He denies any involvement in the investigation into his son and said the decision to delete the logs was taken by a colleague.

He said his son had been "stupid" but was not guilty of any criminal offence. Northumbria Poilice said the IPCC "found no evidence of misconduct".

Under the FOIA I would like to know what action, if any, PCC Vera Baird has taken, will be taking relating to this matter?

Yours faithfully,

Martin McGartland