Two senior police officers were arrested after security guards at a Marks & Spencer store accused them of stealing wine.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Torbet and Chief Inspector Sharon Rowe, of Sussex Police, were stopped at a store in Shoreham, near Brighton, on Sunday after they allegedly walked out without paying for their wine.

A spokesman for the force said yesterday: “Two police officers have been suspended as a result of a criminal investigation. They were bailed on suspicion of theft relating to an allegation of shoplifting. We cannot confirm their names or ranks.”

Both officers have been suspended on full pay.

Ms Rowe is district commander of Worthing, while Mr Torbet works in the force’s professional standards department investigating complaints against police.

A letter has been sent to community leaders in Worthing informing them of a change in leadership. It says that Ms Rowe will be absent for the “foreseeable future”.

Ms Rowe, 44, who trained as an English teacher, joined the police in 1986 and in 1998 became the first woman to reach the rank of inspector in Brighton and Hove. She was appointed Worthing’s district commander last year.

Mr Torbet, 54, joined Sussex Police in 1980 and has held a number of senior positions. In 2003 his 19-year-old daughter, Rae Torbet, was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, Dellwyn James. He broke down in tears as he saw James jailed for life later that year.

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