The Met said it was 'absolutely horrified and saddened' by the incident
A Police community support (PCSO) worker has been arrested on suspicion of outraging public decency after he was filmed appearing to pleasure himself on a park bench while looking at his phone.
The Met Police said it is "absolutely horrified and saddened" by the incident which was brought to its attention just before midnight on Wednesday.
A video of the incident was uploaded to Twitter on Wednesday evening, with the poster tagging the Met and asking the force to explain why one of "your officers (is) having a wank in the park?"
The PSCO, attached to the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command, remains in custody and an investigation is being led by the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, the Met said in a
statement. A referral, the Met said, has also been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
In the video, the PCSO can be seen sitting on a bench and pleasuring himself as he views content on his phone. The man is in uniform and his police cap is by his side. The incident is believed to have taken place in south London.
The man is also seen looking over his shoulder to check his surroundings but is unaware he is being filmed by a member of the public who then confronts him and captures his badge number.
The PSCO was arrested on Thursday morning.
Commander Kyle Gordon, who is in charge 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."
Gordon went on to "reassure everyone" that police are "working as fast as we possibly can to identify the full circumstances of what took place".
He said that as soon as police 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.
"As a criminal investigation is now underway we are limited in what further details we can discuss. However, we will keep the public updated at significant stages of the inquiry."
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