TWO of the region’s police forces were in turmoil last night after the chairman of a police authority resigned and a disgraced chief constable refused to go.

In a dramatic day:

• Dave McLuckie, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority since 2005, resigned after it was revealed he was the subject of a criminal investigation;
• Grahame Maxwell, the embattled Chief Constable of North Yorkshire, said he had no intention of quitting despite being handed a final written warning for trying to help a family member get a job.

Councillor McLuckie announced his decision to quit yesterday afternoon, days after an independent police force was brought in to oversee a criminal inquiry into his business affairs.

The Redcar and Cleveland councillor, who is adamant that he has done nothing wrong, said: “It has now become clear that pressures arising from the investigation could cause significant difficulties for the authority if I was to continue as chairman, which is why I have decided to step down from that position with immediate effect.

“I believe that it is in the best interests of the authority, the public we serve and my own interests, that I step down as chairman at this point.

“I will, of course, co-operate with the investigation – but I repeat that I believe I have acted properly and in the interests of the public throughout my period on the authority, and I will fight to defend my reputation and demonstrate that any allegations against me are without foundation.”

The inquiry is being headed by Warwickshire Police’s chief constable, Keith Bristow, and will be conducted by a team from North Yorkshire Police headed by Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Mann.

Middlesbrough councillor and police authority member Barry Coppinger said: “I’m absolutely furious that Dave McLuckie, Cleveland Police Authority’s most successful chairman, has tendered his resignation.”

He added: “No one has yet seen any evidence to support the need for his resignation.”

Cleveland’s chief constable, Sean Price, said: “In my dealings with Councillor McLuckie I have always found him to be committed to improving the policing service to local people, so I was saddened to hear of this development.”

Meanwhile, Mr Maxwell sought to draw a line under his disgrace by issuing a public apology and insisting it was “business as usual”.

After admitting gross misconduct, Mr Maxwell, 50, said: “I would like to reaffirm my deep and sincere apology to the residents of North Yorkshire, my officers and my police staff.

“The last thing in the world I would want to do is undermine the reputation of North Yorkshire Police.

“I want to reassure the public that it is very much business as usual.

“My role now is to continue to lead North Yorkshire Police and work with the members of the police authority to continue our good work and deliver the best possible policing service we can to the communities of North Yorkshire.”

But Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has already called for the chief constable to resign, saying he has lost the trust of local people.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which investigated his behaviour, and that of then deputy chief constable Adam Briggs, said Mr Maxwell’s first defence had been “essentially saying he could do what he wanted because he was the chief constable”.

According to the IPCC report, Mr Maxwell told the force solicitor that he had been “an a******e” – a word the chief denies using.