Nine Met Police officers suspended after BBC investigation

Following a BBC probe into Charing Cross police station, the Metropolitan Police has suspended nine officers and referred itself to the police watchdog. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it was investigating 11 current or former Met officers and one staff member based at the central London station. According to the police watchdog, the allegations, which appear in a forthcoming BBC Panorama documentary, excessive use of force, discriminatory and misogynistic remarks, and refusal to report or challenge inappropriate conduct are among the many things that should be included in upcoming This week, the BBC contacted the Met for a reaction to the documentary's findings.

Nine Met officers, a former Met officer, and a serving designated detention officer are accused of going on and off duty between August 2024 and January 2025, according to the charges, which relate to both on and offline service. The officers range in rank from police constable to sergeant. The Met announced that it had suspended nine officers and banned two others from frontline service. The IOPC said it had received a referral from another agency relating to the conduct of the former Met officer, who was previously based in Charing Cross and has since been relocated.

These are worrying reports involving a large number of people, and we suspect there will be public concern, particularly in the aftermath of our recent probe into similar allegations at the same police station,

IOPC chief Amanda Rowe said. Matt Twist, a Met Police Assistant, described the suspected conduct as disgraceful. He said that the Met was takingimmediate steps to dismantle the existing custody team at this station, significantly transforming the command and the Westminster leadership team.

In addition, we're investigating more deeply the leadership and culture of these organizations, led by Professional Standards and senior executives, to root out any further failures,

Mr Twist said. In 2022, the IOPC detected disgraceful activity in the ranks of the same police station, which included a homophobic, racial, and miso The Charing Cross investigation was the first in a string of scandals that had forced former Met Police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to announce that she would step down from her position in February 2022.