Police chief Damian Kitchen has criticised the committee’s approach to calling in another force to look into a complaint against him and superintendent Liam Johnson.
Mr Kitchen said last month that the committee had failed to notify him in accordance with the police complaints law, and that it had taken the media to inform him of some elements of the case, which concerns the removal of an interpreter from an approved list used by law enforcement.
Home Affairs president Marc Leadbeater defended his committee when asked questions by the Guernsey Press.
‘The committee is confident that the statutory process has been followed and it will not comment further on the matter,’ said Deputy Leadbeater.
He declined to answer questions about whether the committee had yet appointed an investigator from an outside police force or, if it had not, when such an appointment would be made.
Home Affairs said previously that the complaint may constitute misconduct if proved, which is what triggered the decision to call in an outside force to investigate, a standard practice in police regulation.
In a separate response to questions, Mr Kitchen revealed that he was still waiting to find out details from Home Affairs, 10 days after his original criticism of its handling of the process.
‘It would be unfair on the complainant and the process they are entitled to have followed for me to make any further detailed comments on this matter,’ said Mr Kitchen.
‘I am waiting to hear about the details of the alleged conduct issues, and about the appointment of the outside force to carry out the investigation and when that will take place.
‘As I have maintained since I first became aware of this complaint, I am supportive of an investigation taking place and of the complainant’s right to lodge a complaint.’
There has been increasing tension between Mr Kitchen and some Home Affairs officials, including over his reporting lines, which are unusual in Guernsey.
This led to changes recently under which he now reports directly to Deputy Leadbeater and the rest of the Home Affairs Committee, as well as States chief executive Boley Smillie, putting more distance between the police chief and senior Home Affairs officials.