MP calls for 'super cop' inquiry

Ray Mallon's stance won him the name "Robocop"

An MP has called for a public inquiry after a leading police officer was cleared of all criminal charges following a corruption investigation.

Labour MP Ashok Kumar called for an inquiry into why the investigation into Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon, former head of Middlesborough CID, took almost three years and cost £3-5m.

Dr Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, said: "At last justice has triumphed. Ray Mallon will be able to walk the streets of Teesside with his head held high.

"We, the people of Teesside, will want serious questions answered. How much has this farce cost the taxpayer?"

Eight suspended

DS Mallon was credited with bringing "zero tolerance" policing to the UK.

He was one of eight officers suspended in the course of the Police Complaints Authority investigation.

It began after a court case at Teesside Crown Court collapsed when a defendant claimed officers had tried to bribe him.

The inquiry covered allegations of serious assault and intimidation, including violence against suspects to extract confessions and minor procedural irregularities.

DS Mallon had always maintained his innocence.

At the time of his suspension in 1997, he said: "I'm very calm, cool and collected about all of this, because I always say when you tell the truth you've got nothing to worry about.

"I've got nothing to worry about."

'Robocop'

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

His stance won him the nickname "Robocop".

DS Mallon followed the policy of "zero tolerance" pioneered by the New York police department.

The stategy is based on the "Broken Windows" theory devised by two American acedemics in 1963.

The theory suggests there is a link between disorder and crime.

Signs of decline in an area, such as litter, lead to "responsible" people leaving, which in turn undermines the community's ability to maintain order.

Minor offences, according to the theory, should therefore be pursued with the same rigour as serious crime.