Basic checks were not carried out in the recruitment of a 'Walter Mitty' chief constable who was sacked after lying about his career, an inquiry by the force has found.
Northamptonshire Police made assumptions about Nick Adderley's vetting status and did not verify his education and qualifications, the investigation found.
Shamed Adderley, 57, was sacked in June after a misconduct panel found he lied and exaggerated his naval rank, length of service and achievements when applying to become chief constable - including implying that he had served in the Falklands War, despite being 15 when the conflict broke out in 1982.
The internal investigation review into vetting processes for Northamptonshire's most senior officers lays bare failings around the vetting processes and pre-employment checks ahead of Mr Adderley's appointment to the top job in August 2018.
Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, Nick Adderley, who lied about his naval achievements, committed gross misconduct
Northamptonshire Police made assumptions about Nick Adderley's vetting status and did not verify his education and qualifications, an investigation found
It found that Developed Vetting (DV) forms passed on by his previous force, Staffordshire, contained inaccurate dates for his military service.
The Northants force had also assumed Adderley therefore held a prerequisite local clearance called Management Vetting (MV) and failed to check this and did not carry out its own MV.
The report stated that there was no record any MV documents had been sent and there had been no follow-up enquiries about this.
When Adderley submitted his MV and DV vetting renewal in 2023 while Chief Constable, he gave different details on each and this was never picked up.
Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, who commissioned the report, described the Adderley affair as a 'very dark chapter in the history of Northamptonshire Police'.
He added: 'This report is difficult reading because there undoubtedly were very significant failings in the processes leading up to the appointment of Nick Adderley in 2018 and the handling of his vetting renewal in 2023.
Suspended chief constable Nick Adderley leaves Northampton Saints Stadium, Northampton, following the first day of his misconduct hearing
Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet, who commissioned the report, described the Adderley affair as a 'very dark chapter in the history of Northamptonshire Police'
'We are taking robust action to ensure this situation will never arise again and that officers and staff as well as the communities we serve across Northamptonshire, have the utmost confidence in our processes going forward.'
As well as initiating the investigation into Adderley's recruitment, Mr Balhatchet also ordered checks into the qualifications of his most senior officers.
All were able to produce degree certificates except one, and an enquiry has been made with the relevant individual's stated university.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Danielle Stone, said she fully supported the approach taken in the aftermath of the former Chief's dismissal.
She said: 'It's disappointing that more thorough checks were not carried out when Nick Adderley was appointed.
'I'm pleased that the lessons have been learned, processes and systems will be strengthened, and standards raised to give the public confidence in the recruitment of senior police officers.
'I've already begun conversations with the Home Office to highlight the gap between national and local systems and to explore what can be done.
'I'm grateful to the Acting Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet for this clear and thorough review, produced and published so quickly. Transparency and integrity must be at the heart of everything we do.'
The force admitted it had been unable to check a lot of details around Adderley's application because we did not keep anyone's forms beyond 12 months.
Its report made a number of recommendations, including a tightening up and review of pre-employment qualification checks, dip sampling of vetting files and a requirement for detailed and comprehensive responses to HM Forces checks.
Northamptonshire Police also intends to approach the Home Office to ensure enhanced information sharing and cross-checks happen between the DV vetting carried out by the National Security Vetting Service and the MV vetting done at Force level.
The Mail revealed Adderley was caught out when an ex-wife blew the whistle. Adderley's second wife Jenny Eastman said she felt compelled to report him after being left sickened by the 'disrespect' he had shown genuine veterans.
When Adderley submitted his MV and DV vetting renewal in 2023 while Chief Constable, he gave different details on each and this was never picked up
He also claimed he had attended the Britannia Royal Naval College for four years, despite his application being rejected
Adderley's misconduct hearing in Northampton heard the chief constable wore a South Atlantic Medal that was found to be fake by a Ministry of Defence expert. He had claimed the medal was a gift from his older brother, who earned it.
Adderley claimed when applying to become chief constable in 2018 that he had been in the Royal Navy for ten years when he had served for only two, and had apparently included his service with the Sea Cadets from the age of ten in that calculation.
He also claimed he had attended the Britannia Royal Naval College for four years, despite his application being rejected.
Adderley said he had seen active service, been a military negotiator in Haiti despite never visiting the country, and that he had been a 'commander or a lieutenant', when he only achieved the rank of able seaman.
Adderley, who earned £ 176,000 a year, also repeatedly failed to correct inaccurate reporting of his military service in the media – some of it disseminated by his own press office.
He now faces possible criminal charges. The Crown Prosecution Service is considering a file of evidence which could lead to charges of misconduct in a public office and fraud by false representation.
