‘Lewd’ police chief barred after ‘inappropriate touching’ of female colleagues
EXCLUSIVE
By Angus Young
A former Humberside Police Chief Inspector has been placed on the College of Policing’s barred list and would have been immediately dismissed had he not already resigned following a misconduct hearing for allegations of discreditable conduct.
Blake Neale, 42 , was alleged to have breached the standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct on four separate occasions, and the hearing panel determined that all of his actions were proven and amounted to gross misconduct.
The allegations related to actions both on and off duty in 2019, where Neale inappropriately touched and behaved unacceptably towards colleagues, all of whom were women. An allegation also related to Neale distributing an image of an officer on a work-related WhatsApp group without her consent.
An internal investigation was carried out by the force’s anti-corruption department when reports were received of his behaviour in 2022 and Neale was suspended. He later resigned from the force in February this year.
Deputy Chief Constable Dave Marshall said: “There is absolutely no place within Humberside Police for anyone who believes they can behave in such an appalling and disgraceful manner towards their colleagues and peers.
“At any rank as a police officer, it is imperative we act with the utmost professionalism, respect and dignity, but in a senior position, to behave in such a lewd, discourteous and undignified way is inexcusable.
“We will not condone or tolerate this type of behaviour, which brings not only our force, but policing in general, into disrepute, simply because one individual has gravely failed to uphold and maintain the mere basic standards we expect.
“Whether or not a police officer or staff member is in uniform and working, or in their own personal time, we expect that all staff act respectfully and with integrity.
“We will continue to ensure any officer or member of staff within Humberside Police who fails to meet our exceptionally high standards are held to account for their actions, so the communities we serve have confidence and trust in us to deliver the best possible service and colleagues feel safe and respected in the workplace.”
Neale joined the force as a police community support officer (PCSO) in 2005. He was first posted to Queens Gardens Police Station, covering the city centre and Spring Bank.
After working in different response teams, Neale then joined a neighbourhood team (NPT) in north Hull, and after a year moved to the city centre NPT as a PC. He later successfully passed his second “board” to become a sergeant.
By 2015, Neale was a sergeant based at Clough Road Police Station, later becoming custody sergeant before achieving the rank of inspector.
After moving to the south bank Neale was made temporary chief inspector for patrol and custody. He later served as a chief inspector in the East Riding.