Scenes of crime officer’s work ‘suspect’

Stephen Beattie, who worked as a scenes-of-crime officer, was arrested last year on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and theft and was released on bail pending further inquiries.

The inquiry was launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) over allegations that he potentially undermined dozens of criminal cases.

The watchdog said it is managing an investigation into the “quality of work and qualifications” of the 48-year-old who was employed by both Staffordshire Police and Cleveland Police between 1996 and 2011.

The inquiry is examining 90 cases which have raised concern in the Cleveland force area, including an investigation into a death which has been reopened as a result, an IPCC spokesman said.

“The managed investigation is examining allegations that the man conducted sub-standard work, potentially undermining investigations into a range of incidents including suspicious deaths and had lied about his qualifications when involved in arson investigations,” the IPCC said in a statement.

“The investigation has so far examined all incidents that the man was involved with and narrowed the focus down to 90 cases where concerns exist in the Cleveland Police force area. One investigation into a death in Cleveland has been reopened as a result of the initial findings.”

Major incident teams at both Staffordshire and Cleveland police have been working on the investigation, under the control of the IPCC.

IPCC commissioner Nicholas Long said: “We wanted to ensure we reached a stage where we could inform those families directly affected rather than publicise the investigation earlier and possibly create concern for a larger number of people.”