Cheshire Chief Constable cleared of all charges

The chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary, Simon Byrne – who was suspended after being accused of bullying staff – has been cleared of misconduct.

Mr Byrne was suspended from Cheshire Constabulary last year after being accused of bullying and humiliating staff between May 2014 and March 2017. A misconduct hearing earlier this year was told he had a reputation for being like Star Wars villain Darth Vader.

A panel found no allegations of gross misconduct or misconduct were proved. Mr Byrne said he had been “totally exonerated of any wrongdoing”.

Mr Byrne, 55, moved from the Met Police to take up the top job at the Cheshire force in 2014. His contract with the force expired earlier this year whilst under suspension.

After announcing the decision at Warrington Town Hall, Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane said there had been “no realistic alternative” to holding the inquiry – despite the panel finding the proceedings “could and should have been avoided”.

The decision to suspend and pursue Mr Byrne for misconduct also went beyond the recommendations of Mr Keane’s own original investigators and is understood to have cost the public purse in excess of £450,000.

A misconduct hearing, held in Warrington, was told Mr Byrne was “dysfunctional” and had a “disregard for his subordinates”, treating junior officers and staff like “road-kill”.

The hearing was told he handed pictures of Dad’s Army characters to officers after he became angry when flooding made him late for work.

During his evidence, Mr Byrne denied bullying staff.

In a statement released after the hearing, he said: “I am very pleased to have been totally exonerated of any wrongdoing, despite the police and crime commissioner trying to throw the book at me.”

He said it had been “an ordeal” and that “in some ways, it still feels like upside down justice as I have lost my vocation after 35 years of public service.”

The report of the independent panel can be accessed at: https://www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk/media/198612/report-into-gross-misconduct-hearing.pdf