NEWRY, Mourne and Down council said it will "co-operate fully with any investigations as required" after one of its elected representatives was arrested on suspicion of child sexual grooming.
It follows the arrest on Tuesday of DUP councillor William Walker following claims made by a so-called "paedophile hunter" group.
The councillor, who was detained on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, has since been released on bail pending further enquiries.
The 59-year-old, who is from Killyleagh, is a long-standing councillor who represents the Rowallane area.
He also works in DUP Strangford MP Jim Shannon's constituency office.
The arrest by the PSNI followed claims made by an online paedophile hunter group based in England.
According to Belfast Live, who first reported the arrest, the investigation is based around claims that a Facebook account was used to sexually groom two decoys posing as underage girls.
A series of screen-grabs appearing to show messages sent on both Facebook and WhatsApp have been shared with detectives, it has been claimed.
Mr Walker was previously chairman of Down District Council before the number of local councils was reduced in 2015 due to local government reforms.
A PSNI spokesman said: "A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming, yesterday (Tuesday 22nd February) in the Co Down area.
"He has since been released on police bail pending further enquiries."
A DUP spokesman said: "The party has only become aware of these allegations.
"These matters will be referred to the party officers who will expeditiously examine the issues."
When asked for a comment last night a spokeswoman for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said: "This is a PSNI matter and the council will co-operate fully with any investigations as required".
