A Met PCSO has been arrested after a video appeared to show an officer performing a sex act in a park while in uniform.
The Police Community Support Officer was arrested Thursday and is in custody, after the footage was viewed by thousands of people on social media on Wednesday night.
A clip of the alleged incident was posted to Twitter and appeared to show a middle-aged man pleasuring himself on a park bench to material on his phone.
A Met Police spokesperson confirmed that a PCSO was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of outraging public decency. The force said it first became aware of the video just before 11.30pm on Wednesday night.
A photo appeared to show a member of the public confronting the officer, with his badge number visible.
It is not known when the incident was filmed or where exactly in London it took place.
Commander Kyle Gordon, of the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “I know that everyone will be absolutely shocked by this video. I am absolutely horrified and saddened by incidents such as this, as are all decent officers and staff. They are contrary to everything we stand for.
"I would like to reassure everyone that we are working as fast as we possibly can to identify the full circumstances of what took place.
"As soon as we became aware of the video just before midnight we acted immediately.
“Officers worked throughout the night and a serving member of police staff was arrested in the early hours of this morning and taken into custody.”
The force said a referral had been made to its Directorate of Professional Standards, and to the police watchdog, the IOPC.
The incident comes after a string of high-profile incidents of misconduct within the Met Police.
These have included a damning IOPC report into officers at Charing Cross police station which found shocking examples of misogynistic and racist text messages.
The video also comes a year after Sarah Everard was raped and murdered by serving Met Police officer Wayne Couzens.
