Britain’s highest senior black police officer has resigned after being accused of intimidation and discrimination.
Following a complaint, Deputy Chief Constable Tyron Joyce, who heads the Police Race Action Plan, which aims to combat discrimination within forces and by officers towards the public, has retired.
According to The Telegraph, the claims originated from his second in command, a senior female civil official identified as Liz Unwin, who previously led the action project.
According to sources close to Mrs Unwin, she accused Mr Joyce of professionally disparaging her in front of their colleagues, which led to a decline in her mental health.
Mrs Unwin was reputedly of the same level as Mr Joyce and had decades of experience in police units and at the Foreign Office, but she resigned in January and filed a formal complaint.
Mr. Joyce was the Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police before being appointed as the leader of the race action plan.
He oversaw the National Police Air Service, where an internal investigation was launched in 2019 after various members of staff reported concerns about discrimination and bullying.
According to The Telegraph, the number of complainants who claim Mr. Joyce bullied them may approach six.
Allegations included intimidation, insulting and vulgar statements in the workplace, and reportedly discriminating remarks against a disabled employee.
A senior manager at the airline who complained told reporters that difficulties with diversity and Mr. Joyce’s role made it more ‘complicated’ to effectively deal with allegations against him.
‘The organisational and human fallout was too tremendous,’ said senior manager David Howell.
Mr Joyce’s position was verified by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), and his social media pages were updated to describe him as the ‘former’ temporary Dep Chief Constable at the race action plan.
Allegations made by the civil servant who worked on the racial strategy with Mr Joyce were forwarded to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) monitor.
‘We received a required conduct referral from West Yorkshire Police in April pertaining to accusations of bullying and prejudice by a senior officer,’ said an IOPC spokesperson.
‘After careful review of the relevant facts, we determined that the case should be investigated locally.
‘We have also informed the force that any other conduct issues discovered throughout the investigation should be reported to the IOPC for further review.’
