A SCRUTINY body has found that a police boss ‘effectively ignored’ a higher potential offer for a prestigious number plate.

West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) John Campion withdrew the ‘AB 1’ number plate from sale just three days after it was first advertised in the Daily Telegraph.

He sold the prized piece of police heritage to former Chief Constable Paul West for £160,000, leading to accusations that he had undersold the item.

West Mercia Police and Crime Panel has concluded he ‘effectively ignored’ a potential offer of around £300,000, which he received a day after withdrawing the plate from sale on July 18.

However the panel did not believe the PCC had acted dishonestly.

Speaking at the panel’s meeting in February, former Superintendent Andy Parkes described the sale as an ‘insider, underhanded, unethical deal’.

He said: “The members of the public have not had the opportunity to bid for it.

“This is not best use of public money. That plate was advertised, it was then withdrawn from the advert very shortly afterwards and sold in private for £160,000.

“That plate could have been - and would have been - sold for far in excess of that.”

Former Malvern town councillor Clive Smith added that the police force had lost out on at least £100,000 as a result of the premature sale.

He said: “This is a question of the commissioner’s judgement, how does Mr Campion justify his actions?”

Mr Campion argued that he thought he was legally bound to accept the £160,000 offer from Mr West.

The PCC said he sometimes felt like he was on trial, at the panel’s meeting in February.

He added: “The panel’s report is clear that I had the right to sell the registration, that the sale was conducted with integrity and that it was sold to the person who made the highest bid while AB 1 was on the market.

"The suggestion that a higher potential bid was effectively ignored is not accurate. The panel’s recommendations are noted."

The panel’s report stated: “The panel did not consider the PCC had acted in any way dishonestly, but felt it was a serious error to have effectively ended the sale process on the second working day after the one and only national advert and to have effectively ignored the much higher £300,000 or £305,000 offer indicated on what was only the third working day after that advert.”

AB 1 was traditionally displayed on the Chief Constable’s staff cars in Worcestershire and Mr West said he plans to keep the plate in Worcestershire.