A senior Cambridgeshire police officer under investigation for gross misconduct - which includes an allegation of rape - remains in post, the force has confirmed. 

A source has told The Wisbech Standard that the officer, who was arrested separately on suspicion of rape in July, remained in a public facing role despite being under investigation for two years. 

A case was opened by Cambridgeshire Police's Professional Standard's Department following allegations received by the Independent Office for Police Complaints (IOPC) in March 2021. 

The officer is accused of abuse of position, misuse of a police vehicle and explicitly editing a photograph and is set to appear at a misconduct hearing after the investigation reached the "case to answer" stage in August 2023. 

It is understood that the case was reassessed in October 2023 following an additional allegation of rape made in the previous month.

The source added that the officer should have been placed on restricted duties while the investigation was carried out due to the severity of the allegations received by the force.

They said: "It can't be right that an officer being investigated for such serious allegations and who is now due to appear at a misconduct hearing has been allowed to remain public facing."

However, it is understood that the officer continued to remain in public facing roles, including front-line policing, despite being under investigation.

There have long been calls for officers accused of rape or domestic abuse to be automatically suspended.

In March, women's charity Refuge, delivered a petition containing more than 50,000 signatures to Downing Street, calling for all police officers accused of violence against women and girls to be suspended while claims are investigated.

Under current procedures, there is no obligation for police forces to suspend officers or staff being investigated for allegations of violence against women and girls.

The charity's interim chief executive, Abigail Ampofo, said it was "deeply shocking" that "it is not currently mandatory for police officers and staff to be suspended, pending investigation".

"In any other profession, suspension would be the norm, as would frequent vetting, so what makes policing any different?" she added.

"As an institution who are supposed to protect the public from harm, the police should be held to the highest of standards and any allegations of abuse against officers should be treated with the utmost seriousness."

Last year, now home secretary Yvette Cooper said "fundamental reform of vetting, standards and misconduct” procedures were required in the wake of rogue Metropolitan Police officers Wayne Couzens and David Carrick. 

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police told The Wisbech Standard: "A Cambridgeshire officer was arrested on suspicion of rape by Bedfordshire Police on 15 July and has been released on bail while an investigation takes place. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

"I can confirm that the officer has not been suspended from duty and he remains in a non-public facing role."