Two of the most senior police officers in Sussex have been arrested on suspicion of stealing wine from Marks and Spencer.

Chief Inspector Sharon Rowe and Chief Inspector Jim Torbet have both been suspended pending an investigation.

Chief Insp Rowe is district commander of Worthing, while DCI Torbet works in the force’s professional standards department, whose job is to police the police.

The pair were reportedly stopped at Marks and Spencer in the Holmbush Centre in Shoreham by security guards who believed wine had been stolen from the store.

They were arrested and bailed while police investigate further.

Councillors and community leaders in Worthing have been contacted by Sussex Police to inform them of a change of leadership in the town.

It read: “Chief Inspector Sharon Rowe will be absent from her role as the district commander for Worthing for the foreseeable future.

“In her absence, and with immediate effect, Howard Hodges will be completing acting chief inspector duties on her behalf."

It contained a quote from Mr Hodges saying: “This change will not have any operational impact on the policing of Worthing.

“I am already an inspector on the district’s neighbourhood specialist team and have lived in Worthing all of my life.

“I am acutely aware of the issues that matter most to local people and will ensure that the quality of policing for those who live, work and visit Worthing remains second to none.”

Ch Insp Rowe, now 44, from Hove, was the first woman to make the rank of inspector in Brighton and Hove in 1998.

She was given the old “north Brighton” patch based at Hollingbury.

She later served as district commander of Adur before becoming Worthing’s district commander in 2007.

Originally from Bexhill, she trained as an English teacher before joining the police.

She is married with two children.

Ch Insp Torbet, 54, joined Sussex Police in 1980.

He has held several senior posts in the force including a leading role in the now-defunct crime and drug unit and as head of Eastbourne CID.

He led the investigation into the murder of Billy Carmichael in Brighton in 2000, which led to two convictions.

In March 2003 his 19-year-old daughter Rae was stabbed to death at her Bexhill home by her ex-boyfriend, forklift truck driver Dellwyn James.

He is currently a detective chief inspector in the force’s professional standards department whose job is to investigate complaints and misconduct by police.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “Two police officers have been suspended as a result of a criminal investigation.

“They have been bailed pending further inquiries.”