A senior Canadian detective who was honoured for his work combating sexual exploitation, has been arrested and accused of the very same crime.

Detective James Fisher was arrested this week and charged with three counts of sexual exploitation, along with sexual assault, breach of trust and attempting to obstruct justice.

Mr Fisher was a member of the Vancouver Police Department’s counter exploitation team, which investigates prostitution and criminal exploitation.

Mr Fisher received a citation for his work (Province of British Columbia)

In 2015, he received a citation for “extraordinary dedication” for his work in the unit, according to the Canada Press.

This week, Vancouver Police Chief Constable Adam Palmer told a press conference that the developments were “very troubling news”.

“It was necessary to keep him on active duty while the investigation unfolded while we gathered evidence,” he said. “And we had safety plans in place to make sure nobody was in any danger whatsoever.”

He said that one of the cases that police were looking into involved a juvenile while another involved an adult. He said that Mr Fisher had been suspended. It is not clear whether he has yet had a chance to enter a plea.