Rotherham police officer arrested on suspicion of child sex offences

The offences are alleged to have occurred between 2001 and 2005, police said

A police officer has been arrested on suspicion of non-recent child sex offences, South Yorkshire Police said.

The officer, who worked in Rotherham, was arrested on Wednesday following a report to the force's professional standards department.

A force spokesperson said: "The offences are alleged to have occurred between 2001 and 2005."

The 49-year-old officer has also been suspended from duties and a misconduct investigation launched, police said.

The alleged offences were unrelated to the officer's workplace, the force added.

Det Supt Delphine Waring, head of professional standards, said: "We know how shocked our communities will be to hear of this arrest, and I'd like to assure members of the public that an investigation was launched as soon as this report was made to us.

"As a force we remain committed to being as open and transparent as possible about our professional standards and these allegations will be thoroughly investigated.

"We are also ensuring the complainant receives support."

A mandatory self-referral has been made to the Independent Office of Police Conduct due to the nature of the allegations, police said.