Policemen arrested in child porn inquiry charges

Two British police officers have been arrested as part of an FBI investigation into child pornography on the internet.

The arrests came after federal agents tapped into American-based websites containing indecent images of children and collected the names of credit card subscribers. A list of thousands of British internet users suspected of subscribing to the sites was then sent to police forces in Britain.

In Sussex, a police officer was arrested for possessing child porn after indecent images were allegedly found on a computer seized from his home. In London, an officer from Camden was arrested at his home on suspicion of making indecent images of children. Police seized computer equipment during a raid on his house.

Both officers were suspended from duty.

A Sussex Police spokeswoman said the officer from its force was arrested on 6 August. The London officer was arrested on 8 August after an inquiry by the Metropolitan Police Complaints Investigation Bureau. Both were released on bail.

Neither police force was prepared to comment on the individual cases.