Metropolitan Police senior firearms officer arrested ‘in front of shocked colleagues’ on suspicion of rape

A senior Metropolitan Police officer has been arrested on suspicion of rape.

The inspector, whose name has not been released, has been suspended pending a criminal investigation.

He was taken into custody in front of his colleagues at a firearms training base in Kent, according to The Sun.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said he was being held on suspicion of rape and other offences allegedly committed over a period of ten years.

The veteran officer, who is believed to be close to retirement, has been released on bail until September pending further investigations.

A Met spokesman said: “A serving Met officer has been arrested on suspicion of rape and other offences.

“The officer, an inspector from the Met’s specialist firearms command, was arrested on Monday 24 June.

“The offences are alleged to have taken place between 2013 and 2023.

“He has been released on bail and is expected back in mid-September, pending further enquiries.

“He was suspended from his duties.”

A source told The Sun the officer was arrested at a base in Gravesend.

He said: “It sent shockwaves through the rank and file because he is a big shot in the firearms unit.”

The officer is a member of the Met’s MO19 firearms command unit, which provides firearms cover across London and is deployed to deal with terrorist incidents.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has been informed by the Metropolitan Police of the officer’s arrest.

An IOPC spokesperson said: “We received a mandatory referral from the Metropolitan Police Service on 26 June 2024 following the arrest earlier in the week of a Met officer suspected of multiple offences.

“Having carefully considered the application, we have decided that, given that the officer has already been arrested and interviewed by the Metropolitan Police Professional Standards Directorate, the Metropolitan Police should continue its investigation.”