Custody officer held over cyberflashing allegation

A custody detention officer has been arrested following allegations of sexual touching, cyberflashing and misconduct in public office.

The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer, based in Bolton, was held on Sunday and suspended from duty, the force said.

It follows a complaint made to the force's professional standards directorate in June, with the alleged sexual misconduct beginning the previous month.

A force statement said: "We have seized CCTV footage from the police custody suite and secured other digital material. Our detectives are currently in the process of obtaining full accounts from all relevant parties."

Cyberflashing involves sending obscene or otherwise unwanted images to strangers online.

GMP said an internal review had been conducted into how the complaint was initially handled and it was making a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct regarding the decisions and speed of action taken.

The force continued: "We have engaged with the complainant and offered her specialist support.

"We understand this comes in the week where Dame Vera Baird’s report into the treatment of people in our custody will be published.

"We continue to make improvements to ensure women and girls have confidence in the way they are treated by police, but there is no place in GMP for those who fall short of the exemplary standards of behaviour that the public so rightly deserve."