The latest episode of the North Yorkshire Police management farce is in the news again… The sorry saga around the integrity and honesty of the force leadership (quiet rightly) is proving a little difficult to brush under the carpet. Much to the dismay of Grahame Maxwell, as he attempts to offer mitigation for his belated admission of guilt.
Sorry if I’ve been making like a dog who won’t give up his bone on this one however; the issue is far to tasty to let it go, it is also far too important not to comment. The fact that Maxwell has now finally and openly come clean does nothing to detract from the untold damage this incident has done to the force as a whole.
Chief constable admits errors in £300,000 discipline case: The Yorkshire chief constable at the centre of a £300,000 gross misconduct case has broken his silence over the affair, defending his delay in admitting his wrongdoing and calling for an overhaul of the disciplinary system for senior police officers… (Yorkshire Post).
Maxwell’s personal career impacts not with standing, where is the consideration for staff morale and the massive impacts upon public confidence in the force? Each day officers across the County are having to face the people in a community which is being policed by a disgraced Chief Constable.
The role of police officer requires high levels of honesty and integrity at ALL levels of the rank structure. Therefore, how can it be (morally) right that, someone convicted of gross misconduct can continue in the post of Chief Constable?
Although there is no legal method within employment law to remove Mr Maxwell from his post, now the case has been dealt with, perhaps he should take a lead from his ex-Deputy in the matter? Surely a less arrogant person would realise his position is no longer tenable. If as he says, he actually does “love” the job, he should do the honorable thing and resign. Especially if his genuine desire is for the force to be able to move on and forward from the whole sorry episode.
Unfortunately I suspect the ‘love’ that he professes actually revolves around his position and the salary, not the policing process, the force or the community of North Yorkshire!
Related articles
- Call for police chief to resign (bbc.co.uk)
- Police chief will not step down (bbc.co.uk)
- Chief constable admits misconduct (bbc.co.uk)
Dave's Bankside Babble 
Once again if you are a top desk jockey in the ivory tower you get to talk bare faced bollox and keep your job when anyone of less substantial rank would hev been booted out for dsicreditable conduct. Just proves all acpo are self serving cnuts.
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Well worth more consideration this one – sooner or later police officers will face questions of integrity in court based on stuff like this. Imagine Maxwell in court with some of the villains we nicked and the briefs asking about this.
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