A POLICE force was last night accused of supporting a postcode lottery over the treatment of suspects.

Freedom of speech campaigners and politicians said North Yorkshire Police’s decision not to report its arrest of veteran comedian Jimmy Tarbuck over an alleged assault on a young boy more than 30 years ago was also “a blow to open justice”.

The arrest of Mr Tarbuck followed on from Metropolitan police officers, working on sexual abuse inquiry Operation Yewtree, passing information to the North Yorkshire force.

While some police forces, including the Met, have announced high-profile arrests, North Yorkshire Police did not reveal it had questioned Mr Tarbuck on April 26 until asked by journalists on Monday.

The force has since said a 73-year-old man had been arrested over a child sex abuse allegation in Harrogate in the late 1970s.

"North Yorkshire Police can confirm that a 73-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a historic child sex abuse investigation in Harrogate," it said.

"The man was arrested in Kingston Upon Thames on Friday, April 26, 2013.
"Following questioning, he was released on police bail pending further inquiries.
"The complaint relates to an incident that occurred in the late 1970s when the victim was a young boy.
"It would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage."

Mr Tarbuck, whose arrest does not relate to Operation Yewtree, was instead revealed as being the man held by a national newspaper on Monday.

The North Yorkshire force’s decision not to announce the arrest or name Mr Tarbuck follows Lancashire Police refusing to name Tory deputy speaker Nigel Evans as having being arrested over allegations of rape at the weekend.

Bob Satchwell, of the society of editors, said broadcaster Stuart Hall might never have been brought to court if he had not been named when he was arrested, as a number of his sex attack victims came forward due to the publicity.

Critics said public confidence in forces such as North Yorkshire was being undermined by their refusal to report "public interest arrests", such as Mr Tarbuck’s.

A spokeswoman for freedom of expression campaign group English Pen said: “The fundamental issue is about open justice and the great concern is that if this becomes the norm, there will be a worrying secrecy surrounding individuals whose civil liberties could be endangered.”

Keith Vaz MP, chairman of the Commons’ Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “It is unacceptable that a suspect living in one area should be treated differently to a suspect in the next postcode.”

When asked about North Yorkshire Police’s policy on announcing high-profile arrests, its police and crime commissioner, Julia Mulligan, said the force did not name arrested suspects.

She said she supported the policy of only naming suspects when the public are at risk of serious harm or to provide reassurance to communities.

A Durham Police spokesman said it would only name arrested suspects in the interest of public safety.

He said: “This issue is currently being assessed at a national level, and we expect new guidance to be issued in the next few weeks on the subject of naming suspects on arrest.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers said it was working on new guidelines to avoid further confusion about when suspects’ details could be released.

Mr Tarbuck, who has not commented on his arrest, today cancelled a one-night, solo appearance at the Theatre Royal in Brighton, East Sussex, on June 18, due to "ill-health".