Police chief arrested for 'assault'

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Peter Lowton, an Assistant Chief Constable in Essex, was taken into custody by Metropolitan Police officers called to an address in Orpington, Kent, following reports of a disturbance.

Father-of-two Mr Lowton, 42, was taken to nearby Bromley police station, from which he was later released pending further enquiries.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "In the early hours of this morning we were called to an address in Orpington. A man in his 40s was arrested on suspicion of common assault.

"Police made enquiries and a woman believed to be in her 30s who had called police to the address subsequently said she no longer wanted to pursue the matter.

"There are further matters to be routinely investigated as a matter of course."

Mr Lowton is a career policeman who rose from a Brixton beat officer to work on a number of high-profile murder investigations, including those into the deaths of Jill Dando and Damilola Taylor.

By 2005 he was Borough Commander of Greenwich, where he was in charge of 650 officers. He was initially given a three-month contract as acting Assistant Chief Constable in Essex last October and took the role on a permanent basis in March this year.

Mr Lowton's responsibilities include counter-terrorism, organised crime and critical incidents.

A spokeswoman for the Essex force said: "I'm aware that an officer from Essex Police has been arrested. I can't confirm any details of who that is, however, because it's not our case."