A POLICE sergeant has been forced to quit the force following a two-year investigation into complaints about his behaviour.

Sergeant Nigel Davies, a former acting city centre commander in York, was required to resign by a disciplinary tribunal after a four-day hearing.

It upheld allegations of inappropriate conduct in his conversations with other officers, said Police Federation spokesman Les Coverdale.

However, Mr Coverdale declined to give details of the misconduct and said a separate disciplinary hearing into allegations by members of the public that Sgt Davies used excessive force had been planned but will now not take place, following his resignation.

Sgt Davies was suspended on full pay throughout the lengthy investigation, and Mr Coverdale, who is the federation's North Yorkshire deputy secretary, called for a rethink on the suspension of police officers in such circumstances.

He said forces could in many instances redeploy officers away from public duties, rather than suspend them. They could, for example, perform control room duties under supervision.

Sgt Davies joined the North Yorkshire force in 1975 and spent many years in York, although he also worked in Malton and Selby. He received a commendation in 1996 for his role in a murder investigation.

His spell as acting commander in York included 1996, when the city was hit by a series of bomb scares and evacuations.

Sgt Davies was unavailable for comment yesterday. A force spokesman said: "We do not comment when officers are dealt with for matters under the force's internal disciplinary procedure."