The Greater Manchester Police Chief who mocked a colleague over her “boob Job” will be allowed to keep her job.
A disciplinary panel ruled the Greater Manchester Police officer, Rebekah Sutcliffe had breached standards of professional behaviour before Xmas but today Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling has said that she could keep her job.
In a statement just issued, the forty seven year old Sutcliffe said:
I would like to repeat the apology that I have already given to Sarah Jackson, to the Chief Constable and to my colleagues. I deeply regret what happened and the impact it has had upon those people. I continue to feel very ashamed that I behaved in this way. I would also like to apologise now to the public – for the unpleasant nature of the incident and for the fact that I have let them down.
The responsibility for what happened is mine and mine alone. At the time of the incident, I was under significant personal and professional pressure. In this context I foolishly became drunk, and as a result behaved in a way that is entirely at odds with the way I conduct myself on a daily basis and with the person and senior leader that I want to be.
Sutcliffe had called temporary Supt Sarah Jackson “silly, vain and frivolous” for going under the knife and then pulled down the front of her dress to expose her left breast and said: “Look at these, look at these, these are the breasts of someone who has had three children.
“They are ugly, but I don’t feel the need to pump myself full of silicone to get self-esteem.” at an event at the Manchester Hilton.
“I did not mean any of the things that I said and I am dismayed that I was so unkind and unfair” added Sutcliffe.
“I hold Sarah Jackson in high esteem, and prior to this incident consistently supported her and many others over a number of years with professional development and progression.
Since the incident, through the support of professional counselling and my family and friends, I have reflected carefully on what has happened and taken steps to ensure this never happens again. I am determined to continue on this path.
I am passionately committed to the work of Greater Manchester Police and to public service. I have always sought to treat victims, the vulnerable, the wider public and my colleagues with care and respect and to promote this behaviour in others.
I am very grateful that I have been given the opportunity to return to work. On my return, I will bring the very best of my abilities to serve policing and the public as well as I am able. What I did was wrong, and I apologise for it. I now look forward to getting back to serving the community I love. ”
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins added
The events in May last year cast a shadow over what was an important event to recognise the contribution of women in policing. When I was made aware of what happened I immediately arranged for an outside force to investigate and ACC Sutcliffe was suspended from duty. ACC Sutcliffe has been through a completely open, transparent and independent misconduct process.
What is important now is that we move forward. ACC Sutcliffe has by her own admission behaved in an unacceptable manner and has apologised at the outset. ACC Sutcliffe has been given a chance to demonstrate that she is committed to serving the people of Greater Manchester. We will now work with her to consider how she best achieves this in support of Greater Manchester Police.
