The Real Reasons Behind Chief Constable Mark Webster’s Departure from Cleveland Police....
- teessidetoday
- Mar 12
- 5 min read
His Announced Exit from One of Teesside’s Most Corrupt Institutions Raises Questions Beyond the Official Narrative Being Peddled by Mainstream Media & Press, Cleveland Police Exposed Looks into Some of the Other Reasons Mr Webster decided to Stand Down....
12th March 2025
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster this week announced his retirement, a move that local news outlets quickly painted as the departure of a commendable leader who “will be missed” & will leave behind “sizeable shoes to fill.”
Yet, behind the polished mainstream press releases and 'gut wrenching' tributes, a far murkier story is said to be emerging—one that suggests Webster’s exit may not be the voluntary step away from a successful tenure that many might assume. Coming just days after the sensational sacking of Detective Sergeant John Fitzpatrick—a key figure in the infamous Operation Spoonbill—the timing of Webster’s departure has sparked rampant speculation that the net may have perhaps been closing in on the outgoing chief himself.
Could it be that Webster, rather than retiring gracefully, was fleeing a leadership role increasingly mired in scandal and inadequacy?
A Legacy of Lacklustre Leadership
Webster’s tenure as Chief Constable, which began in April 2022 after a 34-year policing career that included stints with Greater Manchester Police and as Deputy Chief Constable of Cumbria Police, was meant to be a turning point for Cleveland Police. The force, long plagued by corruption and misconduct scandals dating back to the 1990s, had been in special measures when Webster took the helm. Official reports credit Webster with lifting the force out of that ignominious status by September 2023, but scratch beneath the surface, and the picture is far less rosy.
Reports from insiders and observers describe his leadership as “lacklustre” at best and “shamefully inadequate” at worst. Far from the transformative figurehead he claimed to be, Webster’s time in charge is said to have been dogged by allegations of uninspired 'rudderless' management, a failure to tackle entrenched corruption, and a troubling disconnect from the public he was meant to serve.
The timing of his exit raises eyebrows even further, when just days prior, on March 10, 2025, Detective Sergeant John Fitzpatrick was sensationally dismissed from Cleveland Police without notice following a misconduct hearing that exposed a litany of damning breaches. Fitzpatrick, once lauded as a “details man” instrumental in Operation Spoonbill—a complex investigation into an international drugs ring—was found guilty of gross misconduct, including possession of steroids, inappropriate communications with a witness, and breaches of surveillance orders. His sacking has now cast a shadow over the safety of convictions secured under his watch, with questions said to be swirling about the integrity of the very operations Webster oversaw. Was Fitzpatrick’s fall a symptom of broader rot that Webster either perhaps couldn’t—or wouldn’t—address?
A Force in Crisis: The IOPC Report and the Hartlepool Custody Death
Adding fuel to the fire, Webster’s departure comes just months after a leaked Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) report criticised Cleveland Police’s handling of a Hartlepool man’s death in custody back in June 2023—an incident tied to the early days of Operation Artemis. In a watered down &, heavily redacted report, The IOPC identified “areas for improvement” in custody practices but stopped short of disciplinary action against the officers who 'bundled' Mr Stead into the back of a police van, a decision that's led to accusations of a cover-up by the force of no publc confidence. .
Critics allege that witness statements from officers involved were inconsistent at best and outright fabrications at worst, described by one source as “a load of old cobblers” (presumably meaning nonsense). This incident, occurring just a year into Webster’s tenure, underscores a persistent failure to safeguard people in their custody—a recurring theme in reports that have branded Cleveland Police’s operations under Webster as “woefully inadequate” in tackling crime, reporting accurately, and protecting the public.
Was Webster Facing His Own Misconduct Reckoning?
Whispers from within Cleveland Police and beyond suggest Webster himself may himself have been mentioned in documents that formed part of yet another misconduct investigation currently being undertaken by the forces Anti Corruption Unit. Sources claim that as early as two years ago—barely a year into his role—his leadership was flagged as lacking the vision and resolve needed to turn around a force synonymous with scandal. His contract, initially set for three years with the possibility of extension, was not renewed, a detail that a former Police and Crime Commissioner for Teesside Steve Turner recently stated on social media as as a point of concern. Turner’s comments only serve to fuel further speculation that Webster’s exit was less a retirement and more a strategic retreat from a clearly 'sinking ship'.
One insider told Cleveland Police Exposed that Webster had “simply had enough,” overwhelmed by the sheer volume of officers facing disciplinary panels—a task he may have grossly underestimated when he accepted the role. Notably, Webster recently chaired the misconduct hearing for another former Sergeant Tracy Smurthwaite back in 2024, who was convicted of illegally obtaining personal data. The experience of presiding over such cases, coupled with the unrelenting tide of “dodgy cops” within Cleveland Police, may have convinced Webster that the force was now simply beyond redemption—or at least beyond his capacity to salvage alone.
Out of Touch: The Summer Riots and Anti-Corruption Failures
Webster’s complete disconnect from the public only deepens the critique. Our social media page Cleveland Police Exposed has long documented grievances within the force, particularly its handling of the April 2024 summer riots. Webster’s response—'or lack thereof'—was widely panned as being totally out of touch with reality, with critics arguing he was “missing” until the cameras rolled, a pattern of leadership that prioritised optics over action. His previous roles, including a stint as a senior detective in Greater Manchester Police during a period of gang conflict and his time in Cumbria, positioned him as someone with experience in operational policing and anti-corruption efforts. Yet, at Cleveland Police, where corruption has festered for decades, he seemed unable—or unwilling—to wield that expertise effectively and looked to be a man who was totally out of his depth in terms of leadership quality. .
A Convenient Exit or a Forced Hand?
The official line is that Webster is retiring after fulfilling his three-year contract, leaving behind a “legacy of reignited positivity.”
But the confluence of events—Fitzpatrick’s sacking, the IOPC fallout, and persistent criticism of his leadership—paints a very different picture. Was Webster pushed out as the force gets braced for yet another scandal, perhaps one that might have implicated him directly?
Or did he, as some claim, bite off more than he could chew, only to find himself drowning in a sea of misconduct he couldn’t stem?
Cleveland Police remains a deeply troubled institution, and Webster’s departure does little to dispel the notion that it’s a force teetering on the edge. Behind the headlines of a chief “who will be missed,” lays the grim reality that is far less flattering: a leader whose tenure was defined by inadequacy, whose exit looked to have been eloquently timed to dodge accountability, and whose legacy will be written down as one of missed opportunities to root out the corruption he once promised to confront head on.
As the speculation rages on, one thing is clear—the truth behind Mark Webster’s departure is likely far more complex, and far less noble, than the narrative we’re being sold.
