A complaint was made against Mr Hardy in December 2023, relating to a court case from September 2022.
West Midlands Police carried out the investigation into the allegations that Mr Hardy had knowingly provided false information under oath in an attempt to mislead the Royal Court, during an appeal against his force’s decision to withdraw a firearms licence from an individual.
‘After reviewing all available documentation and corroborative evidence, the investigation did not identify any behaviour or documentation that demonstrated an intention by CO Hardy to mislead the court,’ the West Midlands Police report said.
‘Furthermore, CO Hardy has consistently supported his testimony with available documentation and has provided explanations where clarity was needed.’
After finding no case to answer, WMP has recommended that no further action was needed.
It clarified that if former Mr Hardy was still a police officer, there would be no need for any disciplinary action to be taken.
Mr Hardy retired last year, but it has been made clear that this was unrelated to the investigation.
He welcomed the findings of the report yesterday.
‘The outcome of this investigation is not a surprise to me, for I always acted with honesty and integrity throughout my 40-year career in policing,’ he said.
‘My approach to the matter in question was always based upon facts and defendable decisions, with the safety of this island community at the forefront of my mind. This decision was upheld by the Royal Court, which was very clear that denying access to a firearm’s licence was entirely appropriate based on the evidence available.’
Guernsey Police has been subject to numerous complaints in the past couple of years, which Mr Hardy has said had an impact on staff morale.
‘While the barrage of inappropriate and unfounded allegations from this complainant have been distressing for me personally, it has been just as upsetting for serving officers and their families to witness,’ he said.
‘My experience is that BLE is full of passionate and dedicated officers and staff, who are motivated to keep Guernsey safe and secure for the benefit of all islanders in an increasingly complex operating environment.
‘I am very pleased that this has now been concluded and that my integrity while in office has been upheld.’
The Home Affairs Committee said that it took complaints against police and the processes around that seriously.
The committee also said that Mr Hardy had been a ‘dedicated leader’ at Guernsey Police for nearly six years and his career saw him give ‘excellent support and leadership to the community’.
The Office of the Committee for Home Affairs has apologised to its former police chief and complainants against him for making a mistake in a statement about the outcome of the investigation.
It issued a statement to the media last Friday about the outcome of an investigation into the alleged conduct of former chief officer Ruari Hardy, and how that investigation by West Midlands Police had cleared him of lying in the Royal Court.
The statement included incorrect references that the complaint arose from a court appeal hearing against a decision to withdraw a firearms licence from an individual.
'Those references should have referred to another civil case, brought by the same member of the public and his partner, following an incident at their home in October 2021,' Home Affairs said.
‘The complaint relevant to this investigation alleged the former chief officer knowingly provided false information in a statement to the court as part of this civil case.
‘The complaint which was investigated by West Midlands Police was very complex and referenced evidence submitted by the former chief officer to both the firearms revocation case and the civil case.
‘The Office of the Committee for Home Affairs, whose officers prepared the previous media statement, apologise to the complainants and the former chief officer, for referencing the firearms licence revocation appeal as being the proceedings in which the statement by the former chief officer was made.
‘Having acknowledged the point of clarification, it is very important that we restate unequivocally that the findings of the investigation by West Midlands Police into the complaint against the former chief officer were that there was no case to answer and which is a conclusion unaffected by the incorrect reference in the previous media statement.’
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