Derwentside's acting Detective Chief Inspector, Simon Orton, has been transferred to Durham Police HQ pending the outcome of an internal inquiry into an alleged incident in a pub.
The investigation centres on The Company Row pub in Front Street, Consett. Mr Orton was said to have been in the packed pub with his wife on the Friday before Christmas when the incident took place.
The investigation is understood to centre on alleged comments made during an altercation.
A spokesman for Durham Police said the inquiry followed the receipt of 'reports that a senior police officer made inappropriate comments in licensed premises.'
The inquiry is led by Chief Supt Arthur Proud, head of the professional standards department.
A police spokesman confirmed that Det Insp Orton had been transferred from Consett to the police headquarters in Durham pending the inquiry.
No official complaint has been made by a member of the public.
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