They may have cautioned you for underage consumption of a bottle of Frosty Jack’s or two in your time, but it turns out that the police enjoy a tipple just as much as the rest of us.
Two of Brighton’s senior police officers were arrested on suspicion of stealing wine from Marks and Spencer in Shoreham, near Brighton, at the end of last month.
Chief Inspectors Sharon Rowe and Jim Torbet have been suspended from their positions on full pay, pending investigation.
The pair were reportedly stopped at the Marks and Spencer store in the Holmbush Centre on the belief that they had walked out without paying for their wine.
Rowe, 44, is District Commander of Worthing. The mother of two was the first woman to make the rank of inspector in Brighton and Hove in 1998. Torbet, 54, joined the Sussex Police in 1980 and has held several senior posts in the force. He currently works in the professional standards department, effectively policing the police.
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police has confirmed,
“Two police officers have been suspended as a result of a criminal investigation. They have been bailed pending further inquiries.”