IF THE Baillieu Government wanted to enlist Sir Ken Jones as an ally in a bid to oust Simon Overland as Chief Commissioner then it botched the attempt badly.

It was no secret that in Opposition the Coalition had a problem with the Chief Commissioner, with many MPs believing him to be a political operator too close to Labor.

But during last year's election Nationals leader and police spokesman Peter Ryan pledged to work with him in government.

The promise might have been sincere, but Sir Ken's email - written within days of the meeting - reveals others in the Government appeared to be collecting information against him.

If, as the email appears to suggest, the Premier allowed his closest adviser to go behind the back of the Chief Commissioner - as well as his own Police Minister - it would be an unprecedented interference in the independence of the police.

That is if the Premier's chief of staff, Michael Kapel, was acting on Mr Baillieu's orders when he met Sir Ken.

The possibility cannot be ruled out that Mr Kapel was operating on his own initiative.

The Government needs to clarify what Mr Kapel was doing and why his meeting with Sir Ken was kept secret from Mr Ryan - the man who has responsibility for the police.

Last night, the government denied it had been trying to get rid of Mr Overland behind closed doors.

Sir Ken's email makes it clear he believed he was responding to a Government approach when he contacted Mr Kapel in February.

But if the purpose of the two-hour meeting was to win Sir Ken's trust, Mr Kapel was a strange man to send on the mission. Mr Baillieu's closest adviser is a polarising figure, described by some as having an abrasive manner.

Sir Ken later told his supporters that during their two-hour meeting, Mr Kapel challenged him with the accusation he coveted Mr Overland's job - something Sir Ken has vehemently denied.

Neither man took notes but the Sunday Herald Sun understands Sir Ken told Mr Kapel of concerns he had over things that had been happening inside Victoria Police - including the allegedly doctored crime statistics and impending scandal over alleged killings by people on parole.

But though Sir Ken may not have liked Mr Kapel ("I didn't take to him at all"), they found common ground.

According to Sir Ken's later account of the meeting,

Mr Kapel left him with the impression "clearly they are on to Overland".

What happened next is almost beyond belief

.

According to Sir Ken, Police Association chief Greg Davies told him the next day Mr Ryan was on the warpath.

If Sir Ken's account of events is correct, Mr Kapel appears to have been worried about incurring the wrath of an angry Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan.

When Sir Ken finally spoke to Mr Kapel, he came away with the impression their meeting would be explained away as something he had initiated.

Sir Ken appears to have been a victim of forces beyond his control, as his email suggests he was approached to meet with the Baillieu government - an approach he did not seek, but came to him.