Scott Chilton, who previously led the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, was paid £55,154 upon his resignation last April. this severance occurred while the Independent Office for Police Conduct investigated claims of sexual misconduct and prfessional dishonesty.
The £55,154 payment for a three-month notice period
The sum of £55,154 paid to Scott Chilton represents compensation for loss of employment, specifically covering a three-month notice period stipulated in his contract. according to the report, this is a standard provision for senior officers leaving the force, though the timing of the payout has sparked significant backlash. Accountability campaigners have questioned the ethics of honoring such financial arrangements when the departing official is under investigation for serious misconduct.
The decision to provide pay in lieu of notice effectively allowed Scott Chilton to exit the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary immediately rather than working through his final months . While supporters of the move argue that contractual entitlements must be upheld regardless of pending allegations, critics suggest that such paouts undermine the very standards of integrity the police force is meant to uphold.
Two undisclosed relationships and the charge of dishonesty
The allegations against Scott Chilton center on a failure to maintain professional boundaries and a lack of transparency. As reported in the source, the misconduct panel claims that Scott Chilton abused his position for sexual purposes by engaging in a relationship with an officer while serving as chief constable. Furthermore, he is accused of failing to disclose a previous sexual relationship with another officer during his initial application for the chief constable role.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has concluded that Scott Chilton repeatedly and dishonestly denied these claims when questioned by officials from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.. These actions are viewed as potential breaches of core professional standards, including honesty, integrity, and authority, which are fundamental to the police code of conduct.
How Roger Wood's misconduct hearing exposed Scott Chilton
The details of Scott Chilton's alleged behavior did not emerge in a vacuum but surfaced during a separate legal process. During a misconduct hearing for Roger Wood, a former senior detective,Wood referenced an affair involving Scott Chilton when questioned about whether such conduct constituted misconduct . Roger Wood was eventually found guilty of gross misconduct and barred from policing, having resigned before the investigation concluded.
This connection suggests a troubling culture within the upper echelons of the regional police leadership. The fact that one senior officer's downfall provided the evidence for another's investigation highlights a systemic failure in internal reporting and the failure of senior leaders to self-disclose conflicts of interest long before they became public scandals.
The symbolic weight of the October disciplinary hearing
Scott Chilton is scheduled to face a disciplinary hearing in October to determine the final sanctions for his conduct. However, because he has already resigned from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, any penalty—ranging from a formal warning to a symbolic dismissal—will have little practical impact on his employment status. The current Chief Constable, Alexis Boon, now faces the challenge of restoring public trust in an organization rocked by these leadership failures.
Several critical questions remain unanswered. It is unclear whetehr the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary will seek to claw back the £55,154 payment if the October hearing results in a finding of gross misconduct. Additionally, the source does not clarify if any other senior officers were aware of the undisclosed relationships during the application process, leaving a gap in the understanding of how Scott Chilton was vetted for the role.
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