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UTV can reveal a senior police officer at the centre of a controversary over the disappearance of a vacuum cleaner from a police station and claims the tried to blame the alleged theft on subordinates has been able to retire before facing any disciplinary action.

The new twist in this four-and-half-year-old saga came as we revealed back in June that the top officer would be facing a gross misconduct hearing – meaning he could face the sack.

That is no longer going to happen because he has already hung up his uniform and retired.

Former senior officer turned Ulster Unionist assembly member Jon Burrows – who used to be in charge of police discipline – has blasted how police have handled the whole affair.

"It's so late in the day, the officer has been able to avoid

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