Senior officer served gross misconduct notice

A senior police officer has been suspended and served with a gross misconduct notice, the BBC understands.

Assistant Chief Constable Donna Lawton of Gloucestershire Constabulary has also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

A spokesperson for the force told us suspending an officer "has no bearing on any indication of guilt".

Lawton is the fourth senior officer at the force to be suspended since 2024 - but the suspensions are not understood to be linked.

Chief Constable Rod Hansen was suspended in October 2024 alongside chief of staff Gary Thompson.

A misconduct investigation into Deputy Chief Constable Shaun West also took place in the same year, before he resigned.

It's understood Gloucestershire Constabulary informed staff of the latest suspension in an internal message on Friday.

Lawton joined the force from Nottinghamshire in December 2023.

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Constabulary said: "A senior Gloucestershire Constabulary police officer has been served with a gross misconduct notice, and has been suspended.

"An investigation is being carried out by our Professional Standards Department, and a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct has been made.

"Suspension is a neutral act. It has no bearing on any indication of guilt, and should not be seen as such.

"We cannot comment further while an internal investigation is ongoing."

A spokesperson for the IOPC said: "We can confirm we have received a voluntary conduct referral from Gloucestershire Constabulary in relation to this matter.

"The referral will now be assessed to determine if the IOPC needs to have any further involvement."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.