Scott Chilton

Introduction

Scott Chilton is the former chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary who was found to have committed gross misconduct and barred from policing after an independent panel concluded he had sexual relationships with two junior female officers which he failed to declare, lied repeatedly about one of them, and pressured the younger officer to delete their messages and keep the relationship secret. The panel found his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct and said he would have been dismissed without notice had he not retired in April 2025 while under investigation. Delivering the tribunal’s conclusions, chair Michelle Skeer said Chilton’s behaviour was “intentional, deliberate and planned” and that “he repeatedly lied about both relationships”.

Background Information

Chilton joined Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in 1992 and worked in policing for nearly 33 years, rising to assistant chief constable, then deputy chief constable, before becoming chief constable of Dorset Police. He returned to Hampshire and Isle of Wight as chief constable in 2023. Nationally, he was previously the lead for chief constables on both investigations and on tactics, training and equipment. On 7 April 2025, Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones accepted his retirement with immediate effect, which followed two mandatory referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct — the first on 27 February, the second on 31 March — after the IOPC served notice that he was under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated gross misconduct. An independent panel found the relationships proven, including dishonesty findings; Chilton denied the first relationship and later confessed to the second. The bar is a disciplinary outcome, not a criminal conviction — no criminal charges were announced.

The first relationship, with Officer A, took place between 2008 and 2012 when Chilton held chief inspector or superintendent rank, and involved a more junior officer with whom, on occasion, he had sex while on duty. He failed to declare the relationship during the application process for the chief constable position and later acted dishonestly by repeatedly denying it when questioned on several occasions by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, the PCC’s chief executive and his deputy chief constable; he also attempted to avoid a referral to the IOPC regarding this relationship in early 2025. The panel heard there was “overwhelming evidence” from three separate witnesses that the affair took place, and that at a meeting in February 2025 Chilton was “domineering and abusive towards colleagues” during a discussion of Officer A’s allegations. The second relationship began in 2023, a few months after he became Hampshire’s chief constable, with Officer B: the IOPC found he abused his position for a sexual purpose by pursuing it, repeatedly failed to disclose it in breach of local and national policies, and pressured her to “delete her messages” and keep the relationship secret. The BBC reported he told her to “delete and double-delete” messages and instructed her: “You’re not going to say anything,” before later confessing to the relationship. Chilton was found to have breached the police standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity, orders and instructions, discreditable conduct, and authority, respect and courtesy.

Public Reaction and Consequences

IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell said: “As the chief constable leading Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Scott Chilton was expected to act with the utmost honesty and integrity. By failing to declare these sexual relationships in the workplace, in breach of policy, he acted dishonestly and then repeatedly lied, when questioned, by denying one of the relationships.” Campbell added that Chilton “abused his senior position for a sexual purpose by pursuing a relationship with a junior colleague” and “pressured one of the women to delete her messages from him”, praising the women’s “courage in speaking out in what must have been difficult circumstances given Mr Chilton’s seniority”, and saying his actions “have damaged not only the public’s confidence in the force, but confidence in police leaders to behave with honesty and integrity”. The IOPC investigation began after a conduct referral from the HIOW PCC in February 2025; at the end of the investigation in September 2025 the regulator determined he should face a gross misconduct hearing. He will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, meaning he cannot work in policing in future.

Current Status

Chilton is retired from policing, found to have committed gross misconduct, and is being placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, which prevents him from working in policing in future. He no longer holds any chief officer role; his national lead positions lapsed with his April 2025 retirement. The IOPC’s publication of the panel outcome closes its investigation into the two relationships; no criminal proceedings were announced.

Impact on Their Career/Life

A 33-year career that peaked with command of two forces and national lead roles ended with a barred-list entry after findings that Chilton had sex with an officer while on duty, lied about it to PCC officials, and tried to steer the case away from the police watchdog. The barred list forecloses any return to policing, and the dishonesty findings will follow him into any future public-facing role requiring integrity vetting. The IOPC used the case to argue for systemic change, with Campbell saying: “Cases like this unfortunately highlight that there is clearly more work needed to ensure consistent high standards of leadership across police forces.”

Sources

• Independent Office for Police Conduct, “Former chief constable Scott Chilton barred from policing following investigation into workplace sexual relationships,” Oct 8, 2026 — source
• BBC News, “Ex-Hampshire chief constable guilty over workplace affairs,” Oct 2026 — source
• Hampshire and Isle of Wight PCC, “Commissioner announces Chief Constable retirement,” Apr 7, 2025 — source