London - Arabstoday
A British most senior police officer, his deputy, and a female staff member have been arrested over the accusations of fraud, corruption, and abuse of position. The chief constable of Cleveland Sean Price and his deputy Derek Bonnard have been taken to a police station in North Yorkshire and are to be questioned on allegations of misconduct in a public office, fraud by abuse of position and corrupt practice. The arrests were made after the Warwickshire police conducted a two-month inquiry into suspicions that Cleveland police authority conducted some of its business through corrupt practice. Shortly after the inception of the inquiry by the Warwickshire, former chairman of the Cleveland Police Authority, Dave McLuckie, resigned. After his resignation, it was revealed that McLuckie was also consultant of a heating firm that had been awarded an £87,000 contract by Cleveland Police. "Police officers conducting a criminal investigation into a number of people with current or past associations with Cleveland Police Authority and the manner in which the authority may have conducted some of its business have this morning [August third] arrested three people on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, fraud by abuse of position and corrupt practice,” said a statement from Warwickshire Police. Moreover, Price has to go through another investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into allegations that he used clout to appoint McLuckie's daughter to his force. Nevertheless, Price denied the allegations and said he would take legal action against people who are responsible for “initiating and spreading incorrect information.”