Ten officers set to face fast-tracked disciplinary proceedings following investigation into officers' conduct at Charing Cross police station
We have reviewed evidence relating to the conduct of officers based at Charing Cross police station and decided that 10 officers should face accelerated misconduct hearings. Our investigation began on 12 September following a mandatory referral from the Met Police after it received allegations from the BBC. Since then, a dedicated team of investigators have been working hard to review the evidence in a timely manner, including CCTV footage obtained by the Met and documentary footage shown on BBC Panorama. As a result, we have identified sufficient evidence to show clear breaches of police standards of professional behaviour for 10 officers and decided they should face fast-tracked disciplinary proceedings for gross misconduct. The 10 officers consist of:
IOPC Director General Rachel Watson said: “We were appalled by some of the behaviour and conduct displayed by a group of Met officers based at Charing Cross in the documentary. “The public would rightly expect swift action being taken to remove officers who have no place in policing and a large team of investigators from across the country have been working at pace to analyse the evidence. “As a result, we have this week notified the Met and Gloucestershire Police of our view that there is sufficient evidence to merit bringing accelerated gross misconduct proceedings for 10 officers. “This sends a clear message that the type of behaviour seen in the documentary is taken extremely seriously and immediate action will be taken to enable the forces to dismiss officers at the earliest opportunity, where appropriate. We also acknowledge the swift assistance of officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and the evidence they’ve provided to support our investigation. “We anticipate that both forces will agree with our decision on accelerated proceedings and make arrangements for these hearings to take place as soon as possible in the coming weeks, in line with proper processes.” We have made requests to the BBC to provide us with any relevant un-transmitted material, which will assist us with the misconduct processes, and we continue to liaise with Panorama on this matter. Our investigation into the conduct of an 11th individual – a Met designated detention officer – remains ongoing, along with further allegations in relation to a number of officers that do not fall within the scope of the accelerated proceedings. One of the officers – a police constable – remains under criminal investigation for the potential offence of perverting the course of justice. The IOPC has also begun a separate independent investigation this week into the conduct of a serving Met sergeant, based at Charing Cross, following a referral from the Met Police after the officer was arrested by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards on 2 October on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. |
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