A POLICE chief left his colleagues stunned when he appeared to insult his boss during a meeting discussing arrest numbers.

Asked why Hampshire Police had seen a significant increase in arrests while Sussex Police had seen a steep decline, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry replied: “I think it’s because they have a better chief constable.”

All microphones appeared to go off for a few seconds after the comment was made at a meeting broadcast live online.

The Police Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne then asked him to clarify what he had meant.

Mr Barry said he had meant that Hampshire Police’s new chief constable was better than their previous one, not better than Sussex Police’s chief constable, Giles York.

Ms Bourne replied: “I hope you don’t mean better than the one we have - that could be very career-defining” before ending the line of questioning.

Assistant chief constable Nick May said he “did not know” why Hampshire Police had seen a dramatic increase in arrests compared to Sussex.