Police investigated for 'filming prisoners in custody'

The Independent Office for Police Conduct says the incident involving two officers is believed to have happened in 2011

PC Rae Layzell was alleged to have applied to take carer's leave after she had used up her annual leave entitlement (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Two police officers are being investigated over allegations they sent inappropriate text messages and filmed individuals in custody.

The messages allegedly refer to sexually assaulting victims of crime, while the videos appear to depict individuals in police custody suites or in police vehicles, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

A detective constable from the Trident and Area Command unit and a police constable from aviation policing have been suspended by the Met after material came to light during a separate criminal investigation by Surrey Police.

Scotland Yard referred the matter to the IOPC, which is investigating.

The watchdog said the messages and the video footage appear to date from around 2011 when the officers worked together in the Hounslow response team.

Investigators will examine data records and the videos before interviewing the two officers.

The probe is also looking at whether any other officers may have been involved in the incidents.

IOPC regional director Jonathan Green said: "These are worrying allegations about the alleged lack of professionalism of two officers.

"Despite the allegations dating back a few years, the IOPC is concerned that otherwise respected officers may be behaving in such an unacceptable manner.

"It is therefore vital that these matters are carefully investigated by us, independently from the police, to determine if the officers have potentially breached any standards of professional conduct."

Additional reporting by PA