'Walter Mitty' police chief is suspended amid 'stolen valour' probe after he was pictured wearing Falklands War medal despite being 15 at the time of the conflict

A £165,000-a-year police chief accused of wearing a Falklands War service medal despite being only 15 during the conflict has been suspended. 

Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has today suspended Chief Constable Nick Adderley from Northamptonshire Police while an independent investigation into allegations about his conduct takes place. 

A complaint was received from a member of the public, before a mandatory referral of the complaint was made to the Independent Office For Police Conduct who are now looking into the allegations. 

Mr Mold said he believed it was in the public interest, in the interest of the force, and of the Chief Constable himself that Adderley is suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.

He said: ‘Allegations of misconduct must always be fully, independently investigated so that the public have confidence in the integrity of the police service and the processes that independently hold policing to account.

Adderley would have only been 15-years-old at the time of the conflict with Argentina in 1982

‘That independent investigation must now be allowed to take its course and we will not be commenting further on matters related to the investigation.

‘My focus will be on ensuring that Northamptonshire receives the best possible policing service and I know that the officers and staff of Northamptonshire Police will continue to focus, as they do every day, on their mission to constantly improve the way they tackle crime, keep people safe and serve the communities and neighbourhoods of this county.’

The suspension will be kept under regular review as the investigation progresses. 

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Chief Constable Adderley is understood to have enlisted in the Navy in 1984 aged 18 – two years after the Falklands War ended. He was in the cadets from the age of 15. 

Video footage has revealed how the police boss flaunted the South Atlantic Medal, which was awarded to British military personnel who served in the 1982 war between Britain and Argentina. 

The married father-of-two, who was among the frontrunners to take on the Met before Sir Mark Rowley became commissioner in 2022, is accused of wearing it at a string of events including the Police Bravery Awards in July. 

If the accusations are true, he faces claims of being a Walter Mitty-style fantasist.

Constable Adderley pinned the 1982 campaign medal to his chest – despite not joining the Royal Navy until two years later

Chief Constable Adderley previously said he was ‘very proud of his Cadet, Royal Navy and Police Service’, adding he also wears medals awarded to his brothers with no further clarification. 

‘I wear all my medals with pride and have always worn the two medals my brothers gave me to wear when one became critically ill and one emigrated, alongside my own.

‘Having been made aware of this complaint, which has a private family impact upon me personally, I immediately took advice last week regarding the protocol and have changed the side of my chest on which these medals are worn.

‘I look forward to providing the IOPC with a fulsome response at the earliest opportunity and I fully appreciate that they have a job to do.’

‘Stolen Valour’ is the term commonly applied to the act of wearing military medals or decorations that have not been earned with the intent to deceive. 

It is not an offence in the UK for individuals to wear medals or decorations that they were not awarded – but it is an offence to wear a military medal without permission, according to the UK Parliament’s briefing on Stolen Valour.