Chief Superintendent Tom Simons has ‘no place in policing’, say bosses
A senior Essex Police officer has been dismissed without notice after a disciplinary panel found he had “preyed” on female colleagues and engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct while on duty. Chief Superintendent Tom Simons, once head of the force’s Police Public Protection Unit, was found to have committed gross misconduct and has now been placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) concluded that Simons, who is married, abused his position for sexual gain, including inappropriately touching a junior colleague and failing to disclose a separate relationship with another woman within the force. Despite being previously warned about maintaining professional boundaries, Simons continued his behaviour.
Essex Police initially referred the matter to the IOPC in March 2022 following a string of serious allegations. Simons was immediately suspended from duty, and a criminal investigation was launched. The watchdog interviewed him under criminal caution, conducted a search of his property, and seized his mobile phone and other devices in an effort to gather evidence.
Though in January 2024 the IOPC passed the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for consideration of criminal charges – including alleged sexual offences, coercive control, and misconduct in public office – the CPS decided in June not to proceed with further legal action.
Nevertheless, a misconduct hearing chaired by Bedfordshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable John Murphy concluded that Simons had breached multiple police professional standards, including integrity, authority, respect, and courtesy. He was subsequently dismissed without notice.
Simons denied all allegations throughout the investigation and disciplinary process.
In a statement following the decision, Emily Barry, Regional Director at the IOPC, commended the bravery of the women who had come forward:
“I would like to praise the courage of the women, preyed on by this officer, who came forward to report his behaviour. They faced pressure from him as a senior officer, but it’s thanks to them that our investigation was able to gather the strong evidence that was put before the panel at the misconduct hearing, resulting in his dismissal.
“He has deservedly lost his job and it’s behaviour like this that damages the public’s trust and confidence in police officers.”
Essex Police’s Chief Constable, Ben-Julian Harrington, echoed that sentiment and offered a firm warning to others:
“There is simply no place in policing for people who think, wrongly, that they can get away with sexual misconduct.
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“It’s super-clear in Essex – if you speak up, you’ll be listened to and there will be action to help you. But if you try to get away with sexual misconduct or the kind of abhorrent behaviour we have seen in this case, we’ll catch you.
“We’ll investigate you and if allegations are proved, then we’ll do everything in our power to make sure you never work in policing again.”
He added: “I will be completely frank. This case is particularly disappointing given the seniority of the former officer.”
Before his suspension, Simons was responsible for policing across north Essex and had previously led efforts to protect vulnerable people from domestic abuse, sexual offences, and human trafficking – a fact that only heightens the sense of betrayal felt by those he victimised.
The case has prompted renewed calls for greater scrutiny of those in leadership roles within the police, and for robust safeguards to protect junior officers from abuse of power within the ranks.
