No charges in police corruption probe

DS Mallon still faces disciplinary charges

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.

There was insufficient evidence for a successful criminal prosecution

CPS spokesman

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.