DURHAM'S Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg will not face any criminal action over benefits he received when he was a senior officer with Cleveland Police, the Crown Prosecution service has announced this morning.

An investigation was launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission after allegations were made that Mr Hogg knowingly accepted benefits he was not entitled to while serving as deputy chief constable.

The IPCC handed the case to the CPS last month, and this morning (Wednesday, February 11) the CPS said there is insufficient evidence of any crime being committed, and confirmed it would be taking no further action against Mr Hogg, who has denied any wrongdoing throughout.

Reacting to the decision, Mr Hogg said: "This matter should never have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

"I am pleased at the announcement but disappointed it should have got this far.

"I am not surprised that I have been completely exonerated, there was no case to answer.

"The IPCC should not have been spending valuable taxpayers resources on something like this."

The investigation was in connection to two bonus payments made to Mr Hogg while he was deputy chief constable of Cleveland Police and in relation to a car that was passed to him when he retired.

The CPS statement said: "Until 2008 Ron Hogg was employed as deputy chief constable of Cleveland Police on contractual terms that allowed for the payment of bonuses.

"There is no evidence that he requested bonuses. His performance was assessed by the chief constable as being very good.

"The chief constable recommended the bonuses to Mr Hogg and a number of other individuals on the grounds of excellent performance.

"These were approved by the Police Authority at the time and recipients were informed of their awards at routine meetings.

"The evidence in this case indicates that when Mr Hogg retired the Cleveland Police Authority Leadership Panel agreed that he could keep his company car as part of his leaving arrangements.

"The panel had taken advice from a barrister who stated that a decision to allow Mr Hogg to keep his vehicle was "not only fair but in accordance with the spirit of the guidance".

The announcement was made less than 24 hours after it was revealed that his former boss Sean Price had reached an agreement with Cleveland Police ahead of a court case to recoup £500,000 worth of bonus and retention payments.

The former chief constable, who was sacked in October 2012 for gross misconduct, will be paying back just £23,000 after Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger ended court proceedings in light of Mr Price’s offer.