A third former South Yorkshire police officer has been arrested as part of an investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
The ex-constable, aged in his 50s, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of raping a teenage girl in the town in 2004.
It follows the arrests late last year of two former South Yorkshire police officers on suspicion of sexual offences and misconduct in public office.
It is alleged their offending took place when the officers, who were based in Rotherham, were both on and off duty between 1995 and 2002.
The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was investigating complaints from six women of sexual offending by former South Yorkshire police officers.
The IOPC engagement director, Emily Barry, said: “These complaints are being handled sensitively and thoroughly investigated and a third former officer has now been arrested. At the end of the investigation we will decide whether a file of evidence will be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider criminal charges.”
The investigation is being carried out by South Yorkshire police’s major crime unit under the control of the IOPC.
The police watchdog said it launched the investigation in October 2024 after a complaint referred by the force.
The IOPC said this was followed by further complaints from a second woman in November and complaints from two more women in December.
The watchdog said the arrest this week related to a sixth complainant, who was referred by South Yorkshire police last week.
The IOPC investigation is separate to the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) Operation Stovewood into Rotherham, which it describes as the biggest investigation into non-familial child sexual exploitation in the UK.
The NCA previously said it had identified about 1,150 potential victims, and that more than 220 people had been arrested or attended a police station voluntarily. Of those, 39 had been convicted.
