Chief cop accused of ‘bullying and volatile behaviour’
CHESHIRE’S Chief Constable Simon Byrne is to face a two-week gross misconduct hearing over allegations including bullying and palming off responsibility for his shortcomings onto subordinates, and displaying severe mood swings described by one witness as like a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ character.
CC Byrne is accused of breaching professional standards between May 2014 and March 2017 and on multiple occasions ‘lacked self-control and exhibited volatile, unpredictable and offensive behaviour’.
A summary of the charge against him published on the website of David Keane, Cheshire’s Police And Crime Commissioner (PCC), said CC Byrne had allegedly ‘displayed a short temper and a lack of tolerance and engaged in angry outbursts and aggressive attacks upon subordinate staff’.
It alleged that these had ‘created an intimidating, hostile and humiliating environment for staff’ in the Association Of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) office, which he ‘knew or ought to have known would cause distress and anxiety to members of Cheshire Constabulary’.
The 74 bullet point details contained in the charge involve various witnesses, such as the head of IT, whom CC Byrne is accused of having ‘berated and belittled’ in front of other staff, a personal assistant (PA) whom it is alleged was subject to ‘bullying’, ‘belittling’ and ‘intimidating’ behaviour, and other police officers.
It is also claimed that CC Byrne left his PA having to explain to other senior figures when CC Byrne had cancelled meetings at short notice for reasons such as his son having ‘had a bad dream’, then asking in a later email why a meeting had not been set up with the same officer with whom the earlier meeting had been cancelled.
The report said that in June and July 2014, CC Byrne ‘repeatedly failed to attend, without explanation, meetings’ in his professional diary leaving his PA to ‘make excuses and provide false explanations’
Twelve instances in which CC Byrne is accused of having done so, between June 2014 and March 2016, are combined into one claim.
These include: Not attending the National Police Memorial Day in Belfast incurring a parking fee of £8.57 to be paid by the force; missing a Chief Constable council meeting for no reason costing Cheshire police £250 for accommodation; missing a pre-booked first class train to London for a conference on ‘maintaining high standards and improving integrity in the police’ at a wasted cost of £36; altering a time of travel for a first class ticket costing £118.70; cancelling attendance at the National Police Bravery Awards at a cost of £200; cancelling a first class train ticket to attend a Remembrance event in London costing the force £226; failing to attend the International Crime And Policing Conference incurring a cost of £253 for the train ticket.
In separate incidents he is accused of having repeatedly picked things up from his desk and slammed them down again saying things like ‘you need to shape up’ and ‘what’s this?’ while waving a copy of a presentation around.
Another witness has claimed that CC Byrne insisted on making an arrest himself, ordering another senior officer to stop an officer ● who was about to make the arrest, with the reason being CC Byrne wanted to win an inter-ACPO competition, but his actions resulted in delays and the other senior officer had to step in and make the arrest.
A further allegation has stated that he told a senior officer that he though Assistant Chief Constable Janette McCormick’s hair clip was not conforming to uniform standards and asked the senior officer to speak to ACC McCormick about it.
The suspended chief constable is also accused of having mislaid papers over the relocation of Widnes Police Station then trying to blame someone else for the error.
Point 53 alleged that CC Byrne shouted at a PA when he was stuck in traffic and said she should have ‘been keeping an eye’ on conditions for him.
CC Byrne is accused of engaging in ‘bullying and humiliating’ behaviour towards Inspector Kate Woods, such as ‘constantly berating’ and in one instance, with four witnesses present in total, of having become ‘aggressive towards subordinate officers and displayed anger of such degree that you were shaking and turned red in the face’ then shouted at Insp Woods that his son was going to be late for his first day of high school.
It is alleged that when CC Byrne was rejected from the post of Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, he displayed ‘severe and unpredictable’ mood swings.
On another occasion, he is accused of having slammed a door as Insp Woods entered a room after he had ‘demanded’ her to enter.
It is alleged that CC Byrne turned ‘nasty’ with PAs in the ACPO office, on one occasion ‘shouted’ at a PA over awards arrangements and became angry to ‘such a degree that you began to spit, wave your arms in the air and turned red in the face’.
CC Byrne’s suspension was announced by PCC David Keane in August 2017 following a review of the claims by an external police force. Allegations had surfaced in late 2016. His misconduct hearing is due to take place at Warrington Town Hall between April 16 and April 27, week days only.
CC Byrne was appointed by the then-PCC for Cheshire John Dwyer in 2014.