Officer arrested on suspicion of child sex offence

A serving police officer has been arrested on suspicion of sexual communication with a child and misconduct in a public office.

Durham Police said the 31-year-old had been arrested in the early hours of Friday.

It said the officer remained in police custody and had been immediately suspended from his role pending a criminal investigation.

The BBC understands the officer was arrested off duty and taken into custody in a different force area.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram and listen on BBC Sounds.