Suspended chief constable back ‘then I retire’

Stuart Hyde, who was suspended as the force’s temporary chief last September, was told last week by Cumbria’s police and crime commissioner (PCC) that he would be asked to resign or retire because of a “lack of professionalism” and “very poor judgement”.

A probe carried out by South Wales Police into Mr Hyde’s conduct found he spent too much time out of the county, breached force policy on credit card use and used social media inappropriately, but said his behaviour did not amount to misconduct.

Since the announcement last week, Mr Hyde’s £130,000-a-year tenure as temporary chief constable has ended and he has returned to being Deputy Chief Constable, meaning he is no longer the responsibility of PCC Richard Rhodes.

Bernard Lawson, who was appointed as the force’s new temporary chief constable at the time of Mr Hyde’s suspension, has now taken on responsibility for his employment and announced yesterday that he will be returning to work.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Lawson said the behaviour of Mr Hyde, a former West Yorkshire Police detective, “did fall short of what the police service and the public should demand from a senior public servant”.

But he said: “I do believe that in his role as deputy chief constable, Mr Hyde should return to work, albeit under a detailed plan to ensure lessons are learnt from what has been identified during the investigation.

“Mr Hyde has agreed that he has learnt a great deal from the experience and accepts the recommended management advice.”

Mr Hyde will have a “managed return” to work on Monday and will be responsible for “a range of strategic IT developments for the force”, but he has indicated his intention to retire on December 31.

Mr Hyde said in a statement: “This has been a very difficult time for me and my family.

“I am pleased that this has been brought to an end by Bernard Lawson and that I can return to an important role as Deputy Chief Constable and look forward to working with him and the officers and staff of the constabulary.

“I am glad that a clear line has been drawn under the last 12 months and that I can continue contributing to policing and making our society safer as I have done for nearly 30 years.

“I have always worked hard for the people of Cumbria and have made a significant contribution to policing in the past and I hope, and expect, this to continue in the future.

“I have learnt a great deal from this ordeal and the comments about my performance that were reflected in the recommendations. I recognise fully the need to improve the way I manage myself and my accountability.”

In October last year, Mr Hyde was cleared of serious misconduct by the Independent Police Complaints Commission but an investigation by South Wales Police continued.

The South Wales Police report found there was no evidence of misconduct relating to any of the five allegations Mr Hyde faced but made 36 recommendations for he and the force to follow.

Mr Rhodes said he disagreed with its findings and ruled that Mr Hyde did have a case to answer for misconduct over several aspects of his behaviour.

He says referring the temporary chief constable to a misconduct panel would be too costly and time-consuming but that after “careful consideration” he had started the process to ask him to resign or retire.

Despite Mr Lawson’s decision effectively reversing his announcement from last week, Mr Rhodes said he “fully supported” it.

He said: “As Police and Crime Commissioner, my position on the events of the last few months is clearly outlined in detail in the various documents issued on 27th August and that, together with my conclusions, remain unchanged.

“I have nothing to add. However, it is important to appreciate that that view was relevant to the post of Chief Constable, who is held to account by the Police and Crime Commissioner.”

It emerged last week that the overall cost of the investigation into Mr Hyde, legal costs and extra staffing while he was suspended from his post came to nearly £218,000.