A high ranking Essex police officer will be the subject of a misconduct hearing later this month.

Essex Police Deputy chief constable Matthew Horne faces three allegations of having breached professional behaviour standards.

A document released by the force ahead of the process alleges that Mr Horne was involved in a number of incidents with junior colleagues.

All the alleged incidents took place whilst Mr Horne was based at Essex Police, he is currently on secondment to the National Crime Agency.

One of these allegations states that Mr Horne swore at fellow officer Superintendent Glenn Maleary about the performance of the Essex Police Force’s Control Room outside the said office in Chelmsford in June 2015.

At the scene Mr Horne is also alleged to have leant in towards the superintendent with clenched fists.

The document also noted that Mr Horne is alleged to have said: “that [he] had to leave before [he] punched something.”

On a separate occasion between October 16, 2015, and May 9, 2016, Mr Horne is alleged to have pushed Chief Superintendent Carl O’Malley with both hands, causing him to fall onto a desk for what the allegation states were “no apparent reasons”.

This second allegation is said to have taken place at an office at the Chief Executive’s House at Essex Police Headquarters.

A third allegation detailed in the document between the same stated dates, states that Mr Horne threw a rubber stress ball at Ch Supt O’Malley whilst the two were in Mr Horne’s office.

The ball allegedly hit Supt O’Malley in the throat and left a red mark.

Again the alleged actions were noted as having “no apparent reason”.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) led an investigation into the accusations in July last year.

It was the opinion of their lead investigator that Mr Horne “has a case to answer for for gross misconduct relating to allegations he was verbally and physically abusive towards colleagues on three different occasions”.

A further allegation regarding Mr Horne’s conduct was dismissed by the IPCC,

The gross midconduct hearing will begin on January 15 and is listed for six days at Chelmsford Civic Centre.

The hearing will be chaired by Mr Lovell-Pank QC.