Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed that a former Premier League player who was detained in 2021 on suspicion of child sex offenses won’t face any further consequences.
After being questioned by police in 2021, the player—who has since left the Premier League team he was playing for at the time of his arrest—was freed on bail.
GMP declared on Friday that the evidence did not satisfy the standard required for prosecution.
“The 33-year-old man who was arrested in connection with an investigation opened in June 2021 will face no further action,” a police statement read.
“The investigation team and Crown Prosecution Service have been working together and reached the decision that the evidence available at this time does not reach the threshold set out on the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
“Greater Manchester Police is committed to investigating allegations to secure the best possible outcomes for all involved and will continue to work with partner agencies to ensure individuals are supported throughout investigations and beyond.”
In relation to alleged sexual offences, 98 officers from the second-largest police force in England are either under investigation or will face misconduct hearings.
This makes 1.2% of 8,000 officers he Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
After Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick recently admitted raping nine women, all forces have been asked to check their staff.
According to GMP, all complaints are “extremely seriously” considered and “objectively investigated.”
Kate Green, the newly-appointed deputy mayor for policing in Greater Manchester, said the figure of 98 officers being accused of sexual misconduct was “very, very disturbing.”
The number, which was revealed at a police and crime panel meeting on Thursday, included 82 police officers under investigation and 16 police officers awaiting a misconduct panel hearing.
Ms Green told BBC Radio Manchester: “That represents a small minority of GMP but we don’t want a single officer in our police service who is abusing their public office.
“I think it’s not different from wider society – we know we still have real issues around gender-based violence and misogyny.
“If we’ve got one officer responsible for this kind of behaviour, it means everyone loses trust in all of our policing and we can’t have that.”
‘Fully assessed’
Dismissals of GMP officers for sexual offences or misconduct more than doubled in the past twelve months, from five in 2021 to 12 in 2022, the force said.
Following Carrick’s guilty plea, the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) asked forces to check staff recruited before the introduction of tougher vetting in 2006.
Ms Green said GMP was “absolutely determined to root out every single officer who is responsible for this kind of sexual abuse” and they would be dismissed.
Image caption,Deputy Mayor for Policing Kate Green says the number of officers being investigated is “very disturbing”
“Where people believe officers have acted wrongly, I encourage them to make a complaint and assure them that all complaints are ethically recorded, fully assessed, and investigated objectively.”
