NO CHARGES IN POLICE CORRUPTION PROBE

The Crown Prosecution Service has said that no criminal charges will be
brought as a result of its three-year inquiry into alleged police
corruption in Cleveland. Last summer Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon -
nicknamed Robocop because of his zero tolerance policing methods - was
cleared of criminal wrong-doing, although he still faces disciplinary charges.

The latest announcement from the CPS clears more than 50 other officers of
criminal action

One of the allegations made against officers was that drugs were offered to
criminals in return for information.

The multi-million pound inquiry - named Operation Lancet - gathered vast
amounts of material, including 14,000 witness statements, documents and
other reports.

But the CPS said there was not enough evidence for criminal prosecutions to
succeed.

A CPS spokesman said: "Operation Lancet took more than three years to
investigate.

"A huge amount of material was submitted to the CPS which required careful
consideration but under the evidential test, there was insufficient
evidence for a successful criminal prosecution."

Cleveland Police have issued a statement saying that the files have been
returned to the force by the CPS and will now be considered regarding
disciplinary issues.

They say that as a result of previous referrals from the CPS, some
disciplinary hearings have been prepared and others are under consideration.

DS Mallon earned his nickname for the tough stance he took on crime as head
of Middlesbrough CID.

In 1996 he said he would resign if he failed to cut crime in his patch by
20% in 18 months - subsequent figures showed a 22% reduction.