One of Britain’s most senior policemen has been found dead after apparently throwing himself off a cliff in Snowdonia. The body of Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, was discovered in North Wales yesterday. Notes to his family were later found.

A Whitehall source said that Mr Todd’s death had nothing to do with his work but was related to his personal life.

A police source told The Times: “Whatever the reason, it was not financial as his bank accounts are open to scrutiny. We suspect some personal difficulties in his life.”

Friends agreed, and were quick to dismiss any suggestion of financial or professional irregularities by Mr Todd, who headed Britain’s biggest provincial force and had been touted as the next commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

For the past ten years Mr Todd, 50, had been living in a flat in Manchester while his wife Caroline lived at the family home near Newark, Nottinghamshire, with their twin 14-year-old boys and 17-year-old daughter. There had been speculation about his private life.

Colleagues became concerned about his welfare after a series of telephone calls on Monday afternoon, according to reports. Officers had then scrambled helicopters to try to track him down.

After an overnight search by mountain rescue personnel his body was found in a part of Snowdon known as Bwlch Glas. Last night, after a trek lasting several hours, his body was carried down the mountain in appalling conditions. A post-mortem examination is due to be carried out this morning.

He would have been walking during heavy rains and chilly temperatures in winds that were gusting at up to 30mph (48km/h), but the area escaped the worst of the violent storms that battered South Wales.Mr Todd had been due to attend a meeting at Scotland Yard with police chiefs today.

Dave Whatton, Deputy Chief Constable for Greater Manchester, said in a statement: “As you can imagine, all of his friends and colleagues are extremely upset. Our hearts and thoughts are with his family, and I would ask that they be left in peace to come to terms with this tragic shock.”

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said she was saddened to hear the news. “Chief Constable Todd has had a long and distinguished career in various forces and has contributed greatly to the fight against crime and terrorism. My thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues,” she said.

Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, said that Mr Todd had made a “significant contribution to policing”.

Sir Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Mike Todd was strongly committed to taking policing in Greater Manchester to new and improved levels. He will be sorely missed.”

Mr Todd joined Essex Police in 1976 and served as both a uniformed officer and a detective. He became Assistant Chief Constable for Nottinghamshire in 1995 and in 1998 was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police responsible for northwest London.

He was promoted to Assistant Commissioner and led many high-profile operations, including the policing of May Day demonstrations, the Notting Hill Carnival, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002 and the Met’s street crime initiative.

Three years ago he volunteered to be shot with a 50,000-volt Taser gun to convince the public that they were safe.

In 2006 Mr Todd, who had a first-class honours degree and a master of philosophy in politics, was elected as Vice-President of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

He believed that the relationship between the media and the police service was important and was known as “media friendly”.

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