Charing Cross police officer suspended over alleged "inappropriate comments"
The officer is under investigation after the BBC shared unaired footage taken for a Panorama documentary
A Metropolitan Police officer has been suspended from duty after he allegedly made “inappropriate comments” about the use of force against a detainee.
The police constable, attached to Central West Command Unit at Charing Cross station, is under investigation for alleged misconduct after the BBC shared unaired footage it had taken for a Panorama documentary with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A spokesperson for the Met said they “moved swiftly” to identify the individual, who has not been named, and to “immediately suspend him from duty”.
They said the IOPC will “include these allegations in its ongoing investigation into the behaviour of a number of officers shown on BBC Panorama last month”.
After the airing of the documentary, the Met have dismissed six officers attached to the station for their “appalling conduct” and said more misconduct hearings are scheduled.
Sergeant Clayton Robinson, Pc Jason Sinclair-Birt, Pc Philip Neilson, Pc Martin Borg, Sergeant Joe McIlvenny and Sergeant Lawrence Hume were dismissed without notice in separate hearings after it was found they had committed gross misconduct.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine said: “We moved swiftly to act upon this new footage to identify the officer involved and immediately suspend him from duty.
“We have been very clear the behaviour of officers and staff as filmed by the BBC is unacceptable.
“In the space of five weeks we have dismissed six officers for their appalling conduct and more misconduct hearings are scheduled.
“The robust action we are taking is part of our tireless work to raise standards and improve the culture across our organisation.”
The matter came to light after the BBC shared footage with the IOPC.
The IOPC then provided it to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards to assess, resulting in a referral to the IOPC.