Manchester police chief Michael Todd found dead at bottom of cliff
By Nigel Bunyan and Gordon Rayner
Last Updated: 9:45pm GMT 11/03/2008
One of Britain's most senior policemen has been found dead after apparently throwing himself off a cliff in Snowdonia.
Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, had written notes to members of his family which indicated an intent to commit suicide, sources said.
Manchester police chief Michael Todd is found dead
Michael Todd joined GMP in 2002
Colleagues of the 50-year-old father of three, who was widely tipped to take over from Sir Ian Blair as Metropolitan Police Commissioner, had become concerned for his welfare when he failed to return from a walking holiday on Monday.
Telephone conversations with some of his closest friends shortly before he went missing led them to believe he had personal problems and might be contemplating suicide.
A Mountain Rescue team sent to search for him discovered his snow-covered body near a path 3,000ft up Snowdon.
Mr Todd was a very popular police chief whose death shocked officers of all ranks.
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said she was "saddened" at the loss of a "distinguished" officer, while David Blunkett, the former home secretary, said he had done a "first class job" during his career.
For the past 10 years Mr Todd had seen his wife Carolyn 47, and children only at weekends, as they lived in Halam, Notts, while he lived in a flat in the centre of Manchester.
Colleagues believe the arrangement had put the marriage under strain and say Mr Todd regretted not being able to spend more time with his daughter, 16, and 13-year-old twins.
One police source said: "He had spoken to a number of people yesterday about his state of mind. We knew it [suicide] was on his mind. A number of personal items were found by his body — various notes written to members of his family."
Announcing Mr Todd's death, his deputy, Dave Whatton, said: "Yesterday our chief constable, Michael Todd, was off-duty walking in Snowdonia. Last night we became concerned for his welfare and as a result searches started to find him.
"These searches have continued today and unfortunately this afternoon a body has been found.
"As you can imagine, all of his friends and colleagues are extremely upset. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family."
Mr Todd, who had been due at a Home Office meetingon Tuesday morning with several other chief constables, was one of the country's most high-profile officers.
Three years ago he volunteered to be shot with a 50,000 volt Taser gun to convince the public they were safe.
He said: "It hurt like hell. I felt the full surge of the shock from my fingertips to my toes."
He also loved going out on the streets with beat officers and making arrests himself, earning him the nickname "Mr Public Order".
But he was critical of some of his officers, suggesting that people who watched a lot of television crime dramas, such as Inspector Morse, might do a better job.
He headed an 18-month inquiry into whether CIA "torture" flights had landed at British airports, and last week played host to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when they visited Manchester.
Mr Todd began his career with Essex police in 1976, serving as a uniformed officer and a detective and was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire in 1995 before joining the Metropolitan Police.
He rose to the rank of assistant commissioner and supervised the policing of the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations.
He became Manchester's £122,000-a-year police chief in 2002 and quickly won over the public by putting more officers on the beat and describing Manchester as "a wonderful place, a vibrant city — I'm mad for it".
He added: "I don't like the pompous ceremonial aspects of policing. I'll be out there arresting people myself. I'm here to make Greater Manchester safer."
The death of such a popular police chief led to tributes from colleagues and senior politicians last night.
Miss Smith said: "Chief Constable Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism."
Former Det Supt Albert Kirby, of a retired member of Merseyside Police paid tribute to his former colleague.
Mr Kirby said his reaction to the death was "one of total and utter disbelief".
He said: "I would say he is one of those unique chief officers who understood what the public needed.
"But as far as his force and its officers were concerned he knew what it meant to deliver policing. Sadly those type of skills and ability you don't see too often but he had an abundance of them.
"Whenever I met him he was warm and charismatic. He had that ability to communicate with people. When he was speaking to you he was talking to you, not looking over your shoulder looking for the next person.
"He was one of those men who makes you stop and listen to what he was saying because he said it with so much sense, understanding and feeling.
"He is going to be a very sad loss to the police service and how his family must be feeling none of us can understand.
"Mr Todd was one of those Chief Officers who would never ask his mean to do something that he wouldn't do himself.
"He would go on raids and policing operations and see for himself and he saw for himself what it was like to be subjected to a Taser. He wanted to show that he could do it."作者: 兔兔 时间: 2008-3-12 01:27
