14/05/2014 BBC Points West

There are worries that Avon and Somerset Police could in a state

of limbo for months following the suspension of the Chief Constable.

Nick Gargan was sent home ydsterday following complaints

A former chief constable saxs the case is very rare.

Our Home Affairs Corresponddnt Steve Brodie reports.

It was business as usual today at police headquarters wherd acting

chief constable John Long w`s in charge

but he was too busy to expl`in where the suspension has left the force.

In a statement he said he w`nted to reassure the public that officers

Obviously there was a sense of shock here at Avon Somerset polhce

headquarters following the sudden suspension of Nick Gargan after what

have been described as a nulber of serious allegations of inappropriate

behaviour towards female police officers and staff.

It is their to allow the investigation to take place in a

neutral environment without any intention or pressure on anxone

The Independent Police Complaints Commission were interviewing those

involved in the allegations which have rocked the force.

The chief constable is the public face of the force, they provide

leadership, boost morale, boost confidence, they provide direction,

they are the professional hdad of the service. Having said th`t, the

point of achieve constable hs that there is somebody who has bden

appointed to that post who hs capable of taking on

responsibilities. Gargan was an active followdr

of social media and rarely out of the limelight

since joining the force a ydar ago. He was never off Twitter `

even just before his suspension The chairman of the police

federation in Somerset told the BBC " Its right that these allegations

are investigated`and it?s the right The IIPC whose officers are carrying

out the investigation, refused to confirm the exact number of women

officers and police staff who have claimed to be victims of thd alleged

inappropriate behaviour. A law graduate accused

of falsely claiming she'd bden raped Rhiannon Brooker was studying at UWE

when she made the claims. Her boyfriend spent more th`n a

month in jail before being released. She's now facing 20 charges of

perverting the course of justice. Police in Somerset are hunthng

the driver of a car that spooked and hit horses which were bding

ridden along a country road. Three young girls were riding

their ponies in Upper Cheddon when the driver of a red car started

revving and doing wheel spins. Police say the driver sped `way

after one of the horses reared Bristol Rovers' plans to buhld

a new stadium near the Univdrsity of the West

of England have been delayed again. It follows an application m`de to

English Heritage to have thd site of their current stadium listed

as a War Memorial. Rovers,

who have already agreed to sell the ground to Sainsbury's say they still

hope to start work this sumler. People living

in the West who have come over from Europe are being encouraged to

vote in the European elections. Figures show people born in Europe

are even less likely to votd in the upcoming elections than those

born in Britain. It's not often you see people

in Britain standing in respdct But most at this meeting in Yeovil

were born on the continent. It's part of a campaign to get

more Europeans to vote... Many Polish people and expats feel

like they have not been listened to or taken seriously by polithcians,

and the Europeans are saying that there are no votes here, take them

seriously. You might think Europeans lhving

in Britain would be keen to vote But in fact,

expat Europeans are even less likely Hence this promotional video

from the EU ` Immigration is a huge issue

in the European election, and it's no surprise it's dominated

discussions here tonight. Perhaps also no surprise th`t

most here think Britain has I have been here nine years, and

have spent ?150,000 on rent, food, clothes. ?150,000 over nine years.

At the same time, we sent no money to pay land. `` Poland. Since 2 06,

I have not been unemployed. We love the country, we love the wax you

lead your lives. Britain gahns from immigration. I have heard from the

media that Eastern Europeans bring a lot to the British economy.

UKIP were on tonight's panel, arguing for complete reform

Whatever the voters think, the challenge here is to get more

of them to express that at the ballot box.

Martin Jones, BBC Points West in Yeovil.

Three Olympic Rowing Champions from the West have all been selected

in the Great Britain team for the European Championshhps.

Helen Glover Alex Gregory and Peter Reed will all compete

That is the news from us, Jdremy is waiting for Newsnight, but now let's

hear from Ian with the weather. Good evening. Tomorrow brings another

fine day although there will be cloud around during the aftdrnoon.

No threat of showers. Temperatures matching today, if not excedding

them. Another warm story. Tonight, temperatures lower than the values

here. Certainly, they may bd lower than two to three Celsius. There

could be some showers across the Somerset Levels but that sun that is

there could burn off. The d`ytime will heat up and we may see

Fairweather cloud building tp through the afternoon, parthcularly

away from coasts. Another fhne evening as well, fine wins,

temperatures reaching 18 to 20 Celsius, feeling warm. A sililar

story for Friday and Saturd`y, the chance of one

see 21 or so. We keep that going right until the weekend. Here's the

outlook. Good evening. Mother nature was kind to us today, sunny skies,

the birds and bees were out but not everywhere because one or two places

where a little on the cloudy side. For example, here on a satellite

picture, Northern Ireland and Scotland, increasing cloud. To the

south, you can see the vast majority of the country, Wales and England,

scattered cloud, so lots of find weather. We will turn the heat up in

the next few days but in terms of the sunshine tomorrow, you might be

surprised that it's more cloudy compared to what we had today. Let's

look at the details. Tonight, from Wales, the Midlands, and

Lincolnshire, they will get quite chilly tonight, maybe three degrees

in the countryside. In the city centre is it always a bit warmer. In

Scotland, it will stay fairly damp tonight with mist and murky weather.