London businessmen and licensing police arrested for corruption
Two police officers based in a London licensing unit have been arrested on suspicion of corrupt links with London businessmen.
A sergeant and a constable based in London's Westminster Licensing Unit, and two businessmen, were arrested yesterday on suspicion of conspiring to commit misconduct in public office, according to the Metropolitan Police. They were apprehended by detectives from the Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) Anti-Corruption Command.
The Licensing Unit is responsible for approving alcohol and entertainment licences in central London.
A statement from the Metropolitan Police said that the investigation was focusing on "inappropriate relationships between the police officers and people running local businesses", and said the arrests were "part of a long-running intelligence operation".
One of the businessmen was from Slough, Berkshire; while another was based in Camden, north London. Both were taken for questioning and it was confirmed that there has been no further update on the case since the arrests were made.
In an official statement, detective chief inspector Tom Whorwood of the DPS Anti-Corruption Command said: "The long-running intelligence operation… was started in response to allegations of corruption by Westminster police licensing officers and inappropriate relationships between the police officers and people running local businesses.
"At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specific intelligence that we have investigated. However, the Met expects all officers and staff to maintain the highest possible ethical standards. Part of our work includes investigating those people who seek to corrupt or have a corrupt relationship with our staff."
Westminster Council confirmed that no council staff had been involved, but that it was co-operating with the police investigation.
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