Is this the worst cop in Britain?
Chief constable faces a string of charges for bullying staff
A TOP-RANKING police officer was yesterday accused of being an aggressive bully who intimidated junior staff.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne, who was described as a Jekyll and Hyde character, was allegedly prone to angry outbursts and exhibited volatile and offensive behaviour.
On one occasion he was so angry over plans for an awards ceremony he began to spit and wave his arms in the air, turning red in the face, witnesses said.
The officer, suspended from Cheshire Police last August following complaints, was particularly moody for a fortnight after he failed to secure the position of chief constable at Greater Manchester Police in 2015, documents claim.
He is also accused of repeatedly missing vital meetings and events, including the National Police Bravery Awards and a Remembrance Day ceremony in London, without good reason. The missed engagements are said to have cost the public purse more than £1,000, documents say.
Mr Byrne, a protege of former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Hogan-Howe, faces 74 charges alleging gross misconduct between May 2014 and March 2017. If they are upheld he could be sacked.
Yesterday details of the allegations were revealed by Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane, on his public web- site ahead of a two-week disciplinary hearing in April.
They state: ‘You [Mr Byrne] lacked self-control and exhibited volatile, unpredictable and offensive behaviour. You displayed a short temper and a lack of tolerance and engaged in angry outbursts and aggressive attacks upon subordinate staff which created an intimidating, hostile and humiliating environment … which you knew or ought to have known would cause distress and anxiety.’
The bullying allegations have been made by five female staff members, the force’s IT department and its Association of Chief Police Officers’ office. At least one female employee quit her job as a consequence, it is claimed.
Mr Byrne is also accused of allowing his children to download apps on his work iPad and missing to take his son to school or watch him play sport or, on one occasion, because his son had had a ‘bad dream’.
It is claimed Mr Byrne asked an inspector to speak to Assistant Chief Constable Janette McCormick about a hair clip she wore.
The charges state: ‘You knew or ought to have known it was unfair and inappropriate to direct an officer of inspector rank to speak to an assistant chief constable about the appropriateness of her hairstyle or dress code.’
Unusually for such a high-ranking officer, Mr Byrne allegedly intervened to arrest a suspect in July 2014 to ‘succeed in a competi- tion’ between senior chief police officers. He is accused of being curt with employees, questioning staff abilities in front of colleagues and being patronising. He allegedly lost key documents, constantly berated a female inspector and sent ‘nasty’ emails belittling staff.
After the suspension, Mr Keane said there was ‘a case to answer for gross misconduct with regards to authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct’.
Mr Byrne took over the Cheshire force in 2014 after roles in the Met Police, GMP and Merseyside Police. The father of two was recently awarded the Queen’s Police Medal. In December 2016, he said: ‘I am aware an allegation about my conduct is being investigated … I do not know the detail … so am unable to make any further comment at the moment.’
‘Volatile and offensive’