CNN – Police have confirmed the senior terrorism and gangs policing officer at Scotland Yard has been suspended over a “criminal allegation.”
In a statement, Scotland Yard police said on Saturday that they had been told of an allegation made against Chief Superintendent Steve Hedley.
They went on to say that they were taking the matter “extremely seriously,” and that it was being dealt with under the police force’s policies and procedures.
“We are currently not able to comment further as the investigation is ongoing,” they said.
The Metropolitan Police Service refused to confirm details of the allegation, but said that the investigation was supported by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
“This is a criminal investigation that is being supported by the National Crime Agency,” a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said, and an NCA spokesman said that the agency could not comment any further.
A National Crime Agency spokesperson said: “As this is a police investigation, we are unable to comment further.”
London’s Metropolitan Police force has been grappling with increased staff numbers amid increased scrutiny from Parliament.
In April, ten undercover officers from the Special Demonstration Squad were accused of carrying out illegally-recorded extrajudicial killings and corrupting potentially dozens of suspects.
Meanwhile, outside of London, ten counter-terrorism officers at Scotland Yard were involved in a conspiracy to launder money and drug-trafficking, the Ministry of Justice said in a police document seen by CNN.
The documents, marked “Secret,” lay out the evidence that an investigation by the National Crime Agency was launched into what was said to be a sophisticated organized crime network.