Police raid News International

Sat, January 28, 2012 - 6:30 AM

London (CNN) -- Four arrests have been made in connection with allegations of inappropriate payments to police, London's Metropolitan Police Service said today, with a police officer among those detained.

Police are also searching the London offices of News International, the Murdoch-owned publisher of several U.K. newspapers.

The police officer, 29, was arrested at the central London police station where he works on suspicion of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both these offenses, the police statement said.

Three other men were arrested at their homes, two of them, aged 48 and 56, in the county of Essex, and one aged 48 in London.

They are each being questioned on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public and conspiracy in relation to both these offenses.

"The home addresses of those arrested are currently being searched and officers are also carrying out a number of searches at the offices of News International in Wapping, East London," the statement said.

The operation "relates to suspected payments to police officers and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately," it said.