9 May 2011

Chief constable admits ‘disreputable conduct’

North Yorkshire Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell admits disreputable conduct over allegations he tried to cheat a force recruitment drive by giving a relative an unfair advantage, writes Simon Israel.

A disciplinary panel led by a QC will announce on Tuesday whether Mr Maxwell will become the first police chief for 34 years to be sacked.

The chief constable had faced five counts of breaching police conduct regulations and abusing his authority. Up until today he had denied the charges, which challenged his honesty and integrity.

The case against Mr Maxwell centres around a force recruitment exercise last Spring.

A special phone bank was set up to filter candidates and to restrict applications to the first 1,000 suitable applicants. But the system crashed under the weight of calls. 350,000 calls were received, but most were unable to get through. When the lines were up and running again, Mr Maxwell helped man the phones.

But an inquiry by the Independent Police Complaints Commission found he had rung a relative who had not been able to get through.

The last chief constable to be sacked was in 1977. Stanley Parr was disimissed as head of Lancashire police force after being found guilty of 26 charges, including using his official car for private journeys and interfering in criminal cases involving his masonic friends.

Mr Maxwell’s fate will be announced tomorrow.