ONE of the most senior ranking officers at Cleveland Police has been arrested and released under investigation amid mystery allegations, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Assistant Chief Constable Adrian Roberts has been suspended from duty following his arrest. But Cleveland Police has refused to reveal the nature of the allegations against him.

The case has been referred to the police watchdog, the Independent Office of Police Conduct for Investigation.

The senior officer was paid £113,475 while working in the role in 2017/18.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: “We can confirm that the officer concerned has been arrested and released under investigation.

"There is a presumption of innocence throughout any investigative process which is right, fair and proper and we would ask in the interests of fairness that the media do not indulge in speculation as to the nature of this investigation.”

He added: "A decision has been taken to suspend the senior officer on suspicion of gross misconduct.

“There is a presumption of innocence throughout any investigative process which is right, fair and proper and we would ask in the interests of fairness that the media do not indulge in speculation.

“Suspension is a neutral act and it is important for all those concerned and the integrity of the investigation that the individual concerned is innocent unless demonstrated otherwise.

“The matter has been referred into the IOPC.”

When a member of the public is arrested police will confirm the nature of the allegations against them.

The senior officer, who was paid £113,475 last year, also hit the national headlines in 2001.

While serving as a Detective Superintendent, the suspended officer became embroiled in an incident involving a speeding ticket.

His car was caught on camera travelling at 35mph through a 30mph zone on Teesside, where cameras have been installed on roads with an accident record. He claimed he could not remember who was driving his car at the time and an officer let him off, triggering a public furore.

The case was controversially dropped after he made representations to senior colleagues and the fixed penalty ticket was written off.

He was told the matter would not be pursued and details of the alleged offence were not passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

An investigation carried following the public debacle resulted in all officers being cleared of any wrongdoing.