A POLICE force has been accused of double standards on drink-driving after a disgraced detective received a golden goodbye worth almost half a million pounds.

Last week, Home Secretary David Blunkett announced moves to tackle a "sickness culture" in the police service and ease the massive financial burden of early retirement by officers on medical grounds.

But last night, details emerged of how Detective Constable Steve Pennington - who was jailed for four months for drink driving by Teesside Magistrates in November last year - was awarded a lucrative medical retirement package by Cleveland Police, based on an injury suffered two years before his imprisonment.

He was not suspended in the run-up to his conviction and continued to work normally.

Now it has emerged that even after the jail sentence, Cleveland Police failed to sack the detective.

Pennington was four times over the legal limit when police saw him trying to drive the short distance home from his local in Ingleby Barwick, on Teesside, last October.

The divorced father-of-one, who was too drunk to stand, was arrested.

The court heard it was his second drink-drive offence in ten years.

Pennington's solicitor, John Dobson, made no mention in court of any medical problems. In mitigation, he told the court the officer had "taken the honourable course and resigned to save the force from further embarrassment".

Although he has found work laying driveways since leaving prison, Pennington, 39, learned last month that his plea for medical retirement on the basis of a neck injury suffered three years ago has now been approved by Cleveland Chief Constable Barry Shaw.

Pennington not only received a £50,000 lump sum, plus an immediate £20,000-a-year index-linked pension, but also £20,000 backdated to the time of his resignation - a period including his spell inside.

The move will effectively cost local taxpayers nearly £500,000, since without a medical discharge, Pennington could not have claimed his full pension until he reached the age of 60.

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate, a former head of the Superintendents' Association and now an advisor to the Home Office, said he was amazed to learn of the Pennington deal.

"I cannot ever recall an officer being jailed by the courts and then being awarded early medical retirement by his chief constable," he said.

"This is exactly the sort of thing the Home Office is determined to clamp down on. Far too many officers are being allowed to leave on early medical retirements which cost the public huge amounts."

Lord Mackenzie added: "An officer jailed for drink-driving should be sacked immediately, not given early retirement."

Chief Constable Shaw and Pennington declined to be interviewed. But a force spokesman said the deal had been arrived at following "normal procedures" and denied the force had ignored Home Office guidelines in failing to sack the officer.

"A Chief Officer has to look at mitigating circumstances and he has leeway to decide whether an officer continues to serve or not," he said.

But while Ken Walker, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, insisted the force had "no option" but to grant the Pennington deal, fellow member Dave McLuckie said in his view Pennington should have been sacked.

"In this case, drinking and driving has paid," said Coun McLuckie.

"I think that most rank-and-file officers will be surprised that this action has been taken and will equally be distressed that once again Cleveland Police seems to be getting drawn in to controversy as a result of a decision made at the top."