TWO Cleveland Police officers are to face a disciplinary hearing after an investigation into alleged corruption in the force.

A detective sergeant, neither of whom has been named, has been charged with a string of disciplinary offences and a police constable with two offences after the end of an investigation codenamed Operation Teak.

The operation was a covert corruption investigation which began in June 1996 on the authority of Chief Constable Barry Shaw, and was supervised by the Police Complaints Authority.

The detective sergeant faces nine disciplinary offences, including disobeying orders, one of falsehood or prevarication, discreditable conduct and six charges of improper disclosure of information.

The police constable has been charged with two offences - improper disclosure of information and being an accessory to a disciplinary offence. The charges are expected to be heard at a disciplinary hearing in front of the Chief Constable of Lancashire, Paul Stephenson, next year.

Operation Teak led to a massive corruption trial at Leeds Crown Court involving North-East police officers and drugs baron Brian Charrington.

One retired and two serving police officers from Cleveland Police, and convicted drug smuggler Charrington, faced charges of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office.

They had denied conspiring together to obtain sensitive information held by police forces, the disclosure of which was prejudicial to the public interest.

But the case collapsed when Judge Kerry MacGill ruled that, under a section of the Regulations of Investigation Powers Act 2000, with Human Rights implications, he would not allow phone tapping evidence.

He said that the evidence was gathered in 1996 under the previous rules - and since then the law had changed.

Yesterday, the Police Complaints Authority confirmed that two officers would face disciplinary action next year as a result of Operation Teak.

A statement from Cleveland Police also said: "Two police officers have been charged with disciplinary offences which will be heard early next year."