Suspended chief vows to fight claims of ‘serious misconduct’

Stuart Hyde, a former West Yorkshire detective, was relieved of his duties following a meeting of Cumbria Police Authority and the case referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Authority chairman Ray Cole said: “The decision has been taken following a number of allegations of serious misconduct, which may indicate there has been a breach in the standards of professional behaviour by Mr Hyde in his activities as temporary chief constable.

“The authority takes all allegations against any police officer seriously and must address these allegations in an appropriate manner.”

Mr Hyde said he was “devastated” by the allegations.

“I have been very proud to serve the people of Cumbria as chief constable and wish to continue in that role,” he said. “I will await the full details and I will co-operate fully with any investigation.

“This has had a profound effect on me and my family and I want to clear my name as soon as possible.”

Mr Hyde was appointed in January when former chief constable Craig Mackey left to join the Metropolitan Police and was awarded the Queen’s Medal this year. He joined Avon and Somerset Constabulary in 1983.

In 1997, he became a detective superintendent with West Yorkshire Police where he managed a number of crime departments, becoming a senior investigating officer in Bradford before becoming a detective chief superintendent. He became assistant chief constable of West Midlands Police in 2004.

His national responsibilities have included the police use of DNA and creating the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre. He is president of the Society for the Policing of Cyberspace and chair of the charity Bullying UK.

In 2009 he became the deputy chief constable of Cumbria Constabulary.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission confirmed it had received a referral. “We will be carrying out an immediate and detailed assessment of this referral to determine the level of our involvement in an investigation into the allegations,” a spokesman said.