A Met Special Constable has been charged with allegedly sexually assaulting two females while off duty in 2017.
Special Constable Sergeant Ben Smith of the South East Command Unit, which covers Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley, was charged on Thursday, February 16, with two counts of sexual assault.
Special constables or CS for short are volunteer police officers, who invest their free time, but have the same powers as a regular police constables.
CS Smith is due to appear at Bromley Magistrates Court on Monday, March 13, and is currently suspended from duty.
His charge comes just weeks after Met Commissioner Mark Rowley warned that two or three officers would face court each week over the coming months.
In a council meeting held last month, Southwark’s outgoing borough commander Colin Wingrove said prosecutions would be “incredibly uncomfortable” for the force.
But Wingrove also said criminal proceedings against Met officers were “really necessary… to protect our integrity”.
Sir Mark Rowley today pledged to “put victims first” as he unveiled a dedicated victim helpline funded by a £3 million annual investment from City Hall.
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