The police chief in charge of coordinating the response to the Israel-Gaza protests is being investigated for allegedly sharing confidential information, The Telegraph has learnt.

Chris Noble, chief constable of Staffordshire Police, is the seventh police chief to have faced an inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) within the past year, heightening concerns about standards and leadership in the police service.

Last week, Jason Hogg, the Thames Valley Police chief constable, was suspended for alleged gross misconduct. The IOPC is investigating claims that he failed to properly investigate allegations that a former officer kept hold of sensitive police information after leaving the force.

The investigation into Mr Noble, who is the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for the policing of protests and the national head of Operation Tarlac, the policing response to the conflict in Israel and Gaza, centres around an “employment issue” from 2018, before he joined the Staffordshire force.

Mr Noble, who previously worked at Humberside Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), remains at work and has not been suspended.