Five more officers alleged to have placed election bets, Met says

The Gambling Commission has uncovered information alleging that five more Metropolitan police officers placed bets on the date of the general election.

The Met confirmed the latest allegations in a statement, which comes a week after it announced that a protection officer guarding the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had been arrested for allegedly placing a bet on the election date.

The Met said the five officers came from three units; the royalty and specialist protection unit, the same unit the officer arrested last week for alleged misconduct in public office is from.

The other officers identified by the Gambling Commission are from the parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, which the Met leadership had vowed to reform after concerns about its culture after scandals involving Wayne Couzens and David Carrick, who were two of its members. The third is the central west basic command unit.

The Met said that none of the latest five officers to face allegations served in a close protection role.

In a statement, the Met said: “We previously confirmed the arrest of a Met officer on Monday 17 June for misconduct in public office in relation to bets placed on the timing of the general election.

“The officer – a police constable from the royalty and specialist protection command – is on restricted duties.

“It is still the case that only one officer is under criminal investigation. We have, however, been passed information from the Gambling Commission alleging that five further officers have placed bets related to the timing of the election.

“The Gambling Commission continues to investigate these matters. The officers have not been arrested but the Met’s directorate of professional standards has been informed.”

The statement added: “Decisions on whether they will be subject to any restrictions will be taken in due course.”