MISCONDUCT hearings for two officers at the heart of an investigation into the mishandling of sexual abuse allegations will be heard in private next month.

A nine-month Independent Police Complaints Commission investigation was launched last September, tasked with probing former Wiltshire Chief Constable Pat Geenty, an inspector and a detective constable.

The allegations are about the way the officers handled complaints made in 2008 and 2009 into earlier sexual abuse inquiries.

The IPCC served its report to Wiltshire Police and Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson in June, outlining a case to answer for misconduct on the part of all three officers.

As Mr Geenty retired from the force just days before the report was completed, no further action can be taken against him.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “Given that Mr Geenty retired on June 28, as he was legally entitled to do, I am advised that I no longer have any jurisdiction over him.

"I am therefore unable to take any further action in relation to Mr Geenty arising from the IPCC report.

“I have written to Mr Geenty to say that, if he were still a serving police officer, I would have convened a misconduct meeting under Police regulations to consider the allegation of misconduct against him, although a ‘case to answer’ is not, of course, synonymous with him being guilty of the allegation.”

The misconduct meetings will be convened in private following changes to legislation in May, as only cases for gross misconduct must be heard publicly A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “A misconduct meeting for each officer will be held on September 7 and 8. This will be led by an independent chair.

“They will not be held in public following legislative changes that took effect as of 1 May 2015.

“In line with complaints procedure and in light of the IPCC finding of potential misconduct for both officers, a suspension review was carried out as soon as the report was received from the IPCC.

“One of the officers had been suspended from post and the other had been suspended from the organisation.

"As a result of that formal review, the suspensions of both officers were lifted.”

The force added they would not confirm the names of the officers involved in the disciplinary hearings.

“We will not be confirming the names of the officers involved other than to say it’s an inspector and a detective constable,” added the spokesman.

“As appropriate authority, the Chief Constable has made the decision to convene a misconduct meeting for each of the two officers to consider the allegations.

"A misconduct meeting for officers who have a case to answer is not synonymous with them being guilty.”