摘要：英國警方獨立監察機構周一宣布，他們正在對已故英國前首相愛德華·希斯可能涉及性侵兒童進行調查。據一名退休警員揭發，上世紀90年代一宗性侵兒童案的疑犯，指認希斯亦涉及侵犯兒童，並威脅向公眾揭發，警方最終沒有起訴這名疑犯。英國警方5月表示，目前已收到至少261起針對公眾人物涉及侵犯兒童的指控，其中包括76名政治家，以及多名神職人員及娛樂界人士。

LONDON — Britain’s independent police watchdog agency said on Monday that it would investigate an allegation that the police in Wiltshire had dropped a criminal investigation in the 1990s when the subject threatened to go public with accusations that the former Conservative prime minister Edward Heath had sexually abused children.

Mr. Heath was prime minister from 1970 to 1974. He remained a member of Parliament until 2001, living out the rest of his life in Salisbury, in Wiltshire. He died in 2005 at 89, leaving his ancient house, Arundells, with its fine art and memorabilia, to a charity for public viewing.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said in a statement that the claim of a cover-up came from a retired senior police officer. The commission is looking into allegations of police corruption in the past and is working separately from a larger inquiry, led by a judge, into the sexual abuse of children in institutions like the BBC, children’s homes, public hospitals and schools.

“It is alleged that a criminal prosecution was not pursued when a person threatened to expose that Sir Edward Heath may have been involved in offenses concerning children,” a commission spokesman said. The group will also look into whether the Wiltshire police took further steps to investigate such claims.

The statement did not say what the nature of the prosecution was.

The Wiltshire police, which referred the allegation to the commission, said in a statement that “Sir Edward Heath has been named in relation to offenses concerning children.” The statement continued, “He lived in Salisbury for many years and we would like to hear from anyone who has any relevant information that may assist us in our enquiries or anyone who believes they may have been a victim.”

The allegations come from a former Wiltshire constable and later a detective who approached the Wiltshire police with claims of a cover-up in July 2014, according to The Guardian. The allegations were examined by the force and then passed on to the police commission in March.

The British police said in May that they had received accusations of past child sexual abuse against at least 261 public figures, including 76 politicians, as well as clergy members and entertainers. The larger investigation, led by a New Zealand judge, Lowell Goddard, is expected to last several years. Judge Goddard said last month that the scale of the crimes had been underestimated.