THE North-East police force at the centre of a long-running inquiry faced further misery last night when it was confirmed that high-ranking officers are to be interviewed about the jailing of an Asian constable.

PC Sultan Alam, 37, was the only ethnic minority officer in Cleveland Police's traffic department when he was jailed in 1996 for handling stolen cars.

At the time, he pleaded not guilty - and also protested that he had been set up. He served nine months of an 18-month sentence.

Northumbria Police officers are investigating the ex-officer's claims under the supervision of the Police Complaints Authority.

Superintendent Norman Taylor, a member of the investigation team, said: "At the moment we are still working on the allegations made by Sultan Alam through his lawyer. Essentially his complaint is about the integrity of the investigation which led to a court case resulting in his imprisonment."

A year before he was jailed for 18 months, Mr Alam took the force to an industrial tribunal claiming racial discrimination.

Mr Alam lost his appeal but Peter Rennie, the chairman of the panel, accused some senior officers of suffering a "convenient and partial loss of memory".

No officer involved in the allegations has yet been interviewed by the Alam team which is working out of a "secured building outside the Cleveland area".

Supt Taylor said: "In due course we will be interviewing officers of various ranks including fairly high-ranking officers.

"Notices have been served on all officers against whom he (Mr Alam) has made allegations.

"We obviously have to make them aware of what the allegation is against them."