THE man in charge of IT services for Hampshire police has been arrested amid allegations of bribery, it has been revealed.

It comes after police swooped on two addresses - one of them in Andover and the other in Middlesex - in a pre-planned raid involving HM Revenue and Customs.

Brian Chant was in charge of the Information Communication Technology department within the force as well as neighbouring Thames Valley.

But the 57-year-old is now out of a job after he was arrested on suspicion of bribery.

Officers from the City of London police force carried out the arrest, armed with search warrants for both properties - one of them his home in Andover where he lives with his parents.

Mr Chant spoke exclusively to this news group and protested his innocence as he described how stressful he had found his situation.

Talking about how he was arrested, he said: “The police came early in the morning and they took my phone and a computer that was in the study.

“In about 2011 or 2012 is when they alleged I took a bribe at a company I was working for which I did not take, because I was not bribed.

“It has been very stressful, I am innocent.

“I will always have a bad mark against me.”

Mr Chant said he wanted the opportunity to tell his story as he told how he worked as a board level IT director but currently has no income.

He continued: “”I had a good relationship with the police, I was working there from October 2014 until about three weeks ago.

“They were happy with what I was doing, I work at quite a senior level and reported to a senior chief constable and had regular meetings with them.”

This news group has been told that the arrest followed allegations relating to a period between 2011 and 2013 - before he began working as a consultant providing services to Thames Valley police in 2014.

Hampshire police confirmed that Mr Chant also provided IT services to the county, under joint working arrangements with the neighbouring force.

Both forces have not revealed any further details regarding his selection for employment or what he was earning as a daily consultants fee.

A temporary acting head of ICT called Mike Lattanzio has now been appointed, according to Thames Valley police.

Mr Chant is listed as connected to multiple firms, according to documents from Companies House.

Most recently that includes KDB Technology and Services Ltd, based in Southwick near Fareham where he was appointed as consultant in August last year.

Twelve months before that Mr Chant was listed as director of ISVPLUS Ltd, which was registered as still active and based in London.

Other firms include Expertain Ltd, Right2Learn Ltd, Child Progress Ltd, Knowledge Works Ltd, Blue Strata Ltd and Chant Consulting Ltd.

A statement issued following Mr Chant’s arrest said: “City of London Police, assisted by HM Revenue and Custom, executed search warrants in Hampshire and Middlesex.

“The arrest was in relation to allegations of bribery between 2011 and 2013.

“At the time of the arrest the 57-year-old man was a consultant providing services to Thames Valley Police. The arrest relates to allegations prior to his work with the Force which commenced in 2014.

Mr Chant has been released on police bail pending further enquiries until May.

Hampshire’s police and crime commissioner Simon Hayes was not able to provide any comment on the matter.