A SUFFOLK police officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing from a van while on duty.

Colin Adwent

A SUFFOLK police officer has been arrested for allegedly stealing from a van while on duty.

The officer has not been charged, but is currently on bail while the allegation is investigated further.

The suspect is a police constable based at Martlesham police headquarters.

The officer, who lives in Ipswich, was arrested five days after he attended the scene of an accident on the A14 involving a van, which is said to have had electrical tools inside it.

It is believed the allegations against him centre around the alleged disappearance of a small number of the power tools following the crash, which occurred on January 7.

A complaint was made against the officer alleging the property was in his possession and an investigation began.

As part of the inquiry, the officer's locker at police headquarters was searched, along with his home.

He was arrested on January 12 and is currently suspended from duty on full pay, pending the outcome of the investigation and any subsequent court case.

The inquiry is being handled by Suffolk Police's professional standards department.

Suffolk Police have not revealed the name of the officer involved as no charges have been brought against him.

However, the constabulary has confirmed an arrest has been made in relation to an alleged theft from the van.

Kate Rutsch, a spokeswoman for the force, said: “A 41-year-old male from Ipswich was arrested on January 12 on suspicion of theft in relation to an incident on the A14.

“The man was released on police bail pending further inquiries.”

The officer has been bailed to a police station outside the county. He is due to answer his bail at Colchester police station on Friday.

colin.adwent@archant.co.uk