17/12/2012

Police Officer Arrested Over 'Pleb' Leak

A Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of leaking information about ex-Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell's tirade against police on Downing Street.

He was arrested on Saturday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and was bailed on Sunday.

He is currently suspended from his post.

In A statement the Metropolitan Police said: "The arrest is linked to previous inquiries by the MPS as to how internal information was obtained by national newspapers following an incident at Downing Street in September.

"The officer arrested was not on duty at the time of the incident in Downing Street."

Mr Mitchell resigned from his post as Conservative Chief Whip in October, and in a letter to PM David Cameron he insisted he had not referred to an officer as either a "moron" or a "pleb".

Mr Mitchell later apologised for not showing enough respect to the police but denied "using the words attributed to me".

The arrest will be referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission today.

(CD)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

01 August 2013
Teenager Arrested Over Rape Of 12-Year-Old Girl
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the rape of 12-year-old girl in east London. Three males lead the girl to a "secluded" end of a street in Walthamstow at around 00:15 on Saturday before two of them attacked her, held her down and raped her.
05 December 2006
Community police officer remains critically ill
A police community support officer remains in a critical condition in a Greater Manchester hospital after being stabbed in the neck. Greater Manchester Police said that Gary Etchells, 47, had twice undergone surgery at Tameside General Hospital and was now back in intensive care.
17 May 2010
Police Federation Warns On Civilianisation
Police forces may soon employ more civilians than officers, new research from the Police Federation of England and Wales reveals The data, found that numbers of police staff have virtually doubled in just under a decade and the growth in their numbers has outstripped that of police officers despite assurances.
26 August 2005
Police officer's complaint rejected by IPCC
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has rejected a complaint by a Metropolitan Police officer in relation to comments made over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.
21 February 2014
Police Officer Arrested In Fraud Investigation
A serving Norfolk Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of fraud and laundering. It is understood that the office was arrested along with two other people by detectives investigating fraud allegations. Police say that a man and a woman, both in their 30s, and a second woman in her 50s were held in Norwich on Thursday.