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[Fedster + 1,307]

Like any other officer, when a conduct process has been concluded, he should be allowed to get on with serving the public'.

DAC Matthew Horne: Take up role under Professional lead, AC Helen Ball

By - Nick Hudson - Police Oracle

1 Comment

 

The Metropolitan Police has appointed a former deputy chief constable to its professional standards department who last year was found to have verbally abused colleagues.

The Met said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matthew Horne should be allowed to “get on with serving the public” in his new role under the force’s Professionalism lead.

An Essex Police disciplinary hearing at the beginning of last year found Mr Horne had screamed abuse and hurled a stress ball at colleagues.

Management advice was recommended as then chief Stephen Kavanagh decided he should face no further action– hailing his service record for “all but ten minutes of his 28-year career”.

During the misconduct hearing it emerged the senior officer had launched a tirade of abuse at Detective Chief Superintendent Glenn Maleary in 2015 in a car park outside the Essex force control room in Chelmsford over the department’s performance.

An assistant chief constable at the time, he was said to have sworn at DCS Maleary while suggesting “he was history” if things did not improve.

In two separate incidents, Mr Horne was also said to have thrown a rubber stress ball at Chief Supeintendent Carl O’Malley, hitting him in the throat and leaving a red mark and then pushing him causing him to fall onto a desk.

He denied all three misconduct allegations between 2015 and 2016, but a panel found them to be proven.

In a statement released after the February 2018 hearing, the then-DCC Horne said: "I wish to wholeheartedly and unreservedly apologise for any distress caused to my colleagues.

"My motivation has, and always will be, to improve policing in order to protect our communities from harm."

CC Kavanagh said after the hearing: "My decision, taking into account the facts of the case, DCC Horne's record of service and his behaviour across everything but ten minutes of his 28 years of service, is that the holding of these very public and transparent proceedings itself has been salutary and, in my view, properly satisfy the public interest and maintain confidence in the police."

He added: "As an officer and as a leader, DCC Horne's conduct in those three incidents was not acceptable in a workplace that must operate – even in times of the highest levels of stress and risk – on a basis of trust, respect and comradeship.

After leaving Essex Police, the deputy chief constable was then seconded as the deputy director general for operations within the National Crime Agency for a year.

From there he went on a short term attachment to a national project on regional organised crime units for the National Police Chiefs’ Council PCC before returning to Essex Police as DCC in the summer of 2018.

He then joined the Met Police in February 2019 as a deputy assistant commissioner.

His current role is DAC Professionalism, working to Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball.

The Met told Police Oracle: “Like any other officer, when a conduct process has been fully dealt with and concluded, he should be allowed to get on with serving the public.

“Management board has every confidence in him.”

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[bensonby + 3,503]

I’m not really sure why this is news now. He has been in post for months.

[Sceptre + 2,710]

On 24/09/2019 at 09:38, Fedster said:

In two separate incidents, Mr Horne was also said to have thrown a rubber stress ball at Chief Supeintendent Carl O’Malley, hitting him in the throat and leaving a red mark and then pushing him causing him to fall onto a desk.

When James Kiddie punched a shoplifter with AIDS who was trying to bite him he was prosecuted and dismissed, but two instances of common assault against a colleague in the workplace are apparently not worthy of sanction if you're an ACC. 

[Reasonable Man + 1,259]

3 hours ago, Sceptre said:

When James Kiddie punched a shoplifter with AIDS who was trying to bite him he was prosecuted and dismissed, but two instances of common assault against a colleague in the workplace are apparently not worthy of sanction if you're an ACC. 

There was a sanction. The case was found proven at the misconduct hearing. 

[Zulu 22 + 4,642]

2 hours ago, Reasonable Man said:

There was a sanction. The case was found proven at the misconduct hearing. 

He got a smack on the wrist whereas Kiddie was dismissed for defending himself.  It is not the first time that a senior officer has walked, Scott free, in similar circumstances. I know of at least two in GMP and one went on to be an Assistant Commissioner in the Met. If a person has acted as reported surely, he is not a fit and proper person to be in  Professional Standards dept, or even still in the job.

[Reasonable Man + 1,259]

45 minutes ago, Zulu 22 said:

He got a smack on the wrist whereas Kiddie was dismissed for defending himself.  It is not the first time that a senior officer has walked, Scott free, in similar circumstances. I know of at least two in GMP and one went on to be an Assistant Commissioner in the Met. If a person has acted as reported surely, he is not a fit and proper person to be in  Professional Standards dept, or even still in the job.

True but Kiddie was convicted of a criminal offence - could he keep his job with a conviction for violence? 

Whilst Horne sounds like an obnoxious bully (and personally I don’t think there’s a place for him in the job) he was found to have breached internal rules.

Perhaps the victims of the assaults should have insisted on it going to court, unless there wasn’t the evidence to do so. 

[IrateShrike + 1,850]

22 hours ago, Reasonable Man said:

Perhaps the victims of the assaults should have insisted on it going to court, unless there wasn’t the evidence to do so. 

Victims cannot insist on a case going to court.  They have a right for charging decisions to reviewed in certain circumstances.