Serving police officer arrested in payment probe (From Swindon Advertiser)

Serving police officer arrested in payment probe

9:12am Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News By Scott D'Arcy

A SERVING Wiltshire Police officer has been arrested by detectives investigating illegal payments to public officials.

The 32-year-old man was arrested at this county home at 6am this morning as part of the Metropolitan Police Service Operation Elveden enquiry. 

Two journalists, from Bristol and south-east London respectively, were also arrested taking to the total arrested to 50 in the wide-ranging probe, which is running in tandem with Operation Weeting looking into phone hacking.

In a statement Wiltshire Police said: "Officers from the MPS's Operation Elveden made three arrests at around 6am this morning.

"Operation Elveden is the investigation into allegations of inappropriate payments to police and public officials.

"It is being supervised by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and is running in conjunction with Operation Weeting, the MPS inquiry into the phone-hacking of voicemail boxes.

"A 39-year-old serving Wiltshire Police officer was arrested at his home in Wiltshire on suspicion of misconduct in a public office, contrary to common law and suspicion of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977. He will be interviewed at a south-west London police station.

"A 51-year-old journalist was arrested at his home address in Bristol and will be interviewed at an Avon and Somerset police station.

"A 32-year-old journalist was arrested at his home address in south-east London and will be interviewed at a south London police station.

"Both journalists were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to corrupt and conspiracy to cause misconduct in a public office, both offences contrary to the Criminal Law Act 1977.

"Today's arrests are the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's Management Standards Committee.

"They relate to suspected payments to a public official and suspected disclosure of confidential information by a police officer and are not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately."