Bradford police chief resigns after affair with much younger officer

Chief Superintendent Daniel Greenwood, 41, tendered his resignation with immediate effect yesterday (Sept 17) on the second day of a formal misconduct hearing at the force’s headquarters in Wakefield.

The hearing, which had been listed to last seven days, will reconvene tomorrow (THURS) to deliver its ruling.

Mitigating for Mr Greenwood, Hugh Davies KC said he was “a complex personality with addictive characteristics” that included an alcohol addiction throughout his career. He said he was, in fact, a “high functioning alcoholic”.

Greenwood became District Commander for Bradford on January 4, 2021. That same month he had sex with “a very new probationer constable” who was aged in her early 20s. Mr Greenwood, a married man, was 37.

Former Chf Supt Daniel Greenwood (Image: Submitted) However they had known each other since 2018 when Mr Greenwood, then a superintendent, gave Miss A advice via email on pursuing a career with the police.

They met for the first time in March 2020, just as the Covid pandemic was breaking. That same month Mr Greenwood was promoted to chief superintendent and put in charge of West Yorkshire Police’s Covid response.

He continued to give advice during April and May but during July and August his digital messaging to Miss A “became openly flirtatious and sexual in nature” and he urged her to delete his texts and intimate images she held of him on her mobile phone.

In his evidence Mr Greenwood said the attraction between the two was mutual and “habitually initiated” by Miss A but that he accepted he reciprocated.

She said she found older men attractive and that she appeared “both mature and independently-minded” though the disparity in age and status was “stark”.

During this period he was helping her with her application to join the force.

Trafalgar House police station in Bradford (Image: Other)

John Beggs KC for the Appropriate Authority – making the case for the police authority – said: “The fact that a very senior police officer is sexually engaged with a very young would-be probationer – whose application he was undoubtedly helping with – is the vice of the case, together with what he did after she joined West Yorkshire Police.”

It said that the sort of conduct Mr Greenwood displayed was “serious” and recognised in certain circumstances to be “a corruption of the intended role of a police officer.”

Clothed sexual activity between the couple began in September 2020. The day before she started with West Yorkshire Police they went on a walk together during which Greenwood pulled Miss A towards him and kissed her.

They had sex together for the first time in January 2021 at her flat during a visit that broke the law as it was in breach of Covid regulations.

Mr Greenwood denied being on duty at the time and said the liaison took place before he became district commander on January 4 and before Covid regulations were introduced two days later.

They had sex again in July 2021. That same month, Miss A became aware of rumours circulating about her and Greenwood with “raised eyebrows” among the constable ranks.

One fellow probationer said she knew that the two had exchanged nude pictures and had had sex together as Miss A had told her in March 2021.

She said: “My jaw dropped and I was in shock.”

Another probationer said: “I was taken aback and told [Miss A] that I thought she had opened a can of worms for herself and that it would end in disaster.”

He also suggested that Mr Greenwood had tried to arrange an overnight hotel stay for himself and Miss A.

The Appropriate Authority said: “It is this kind of gossip and tittle tattle in the ranks which represents just one of what the AA asserts are the many vices of Daniel Greenwood’s misconduct.”

Miss A later began associating with a man whose half-brother, “a significant criminal”, was on remand in prison and turned to Mr Greenwood for support. He began investigating how to delete iPhone data but continued to send flirtatious and sexual messages to her.

Greenwood told her to fill in a notifiable association form, but he failed to tell her to report herself to West Yorkshire Police’s professional standards department.

Miss A was arrested on November 2, 2021. The same day Mr Greenwood reset his phone and deleted all messages. 

He was suspended on November 3 and admitted his history with Miss A on November 10. He told colleagues that he had struggled with alcohol for the past 10 years and had obtained cognitive behavioural therapy for his addictive personality traits.

During the investigation by professional standards Mr Greenwood claimed he was not fit to be interviewed.

In mitigation, Mr Davies said: “A highly promising police career has ended. Many perceived he had the potential to become a chief officer. That is all now gone, obviously.

“Behind the high achievements is a complex personality with historically corroborated addictive characteristics manifested historically as alcohol addiction throughout his career. He may reasonably be characterised as having been a high functioning alcoholic.

“A different chapter must now begin both for him and his family.”