Met cop accused of leaking info to Algerian Embassy after relationship with employee gets anonymity

EXCLUSIVE: A MET Police officer has been accused of giving sensitive police information to staff at the Algerian embassy without authority. The officer, who has not been identified but is currently suspended on full pay, is also accused of having an improper relationship with a member of staff at the same embassy. It is understood that he met the embassy worker during a police investigation concerning it and continued the relationship after the probe concluded. The allegations will be heard at a force misconduct panel hearing from Tuesday, September 26 to Wednesday, October 4, it has announced. A public notice ahead of the hearing said: "A police officer will answer allegations that his conduct amounted to breaches of the standards of professional behaviour in respect of confidentiality, orders and instructions, duties and responsibilities and honesty and integrity. "It is alleged that between March 2019 and December 2020, in his role as a Community Engagement Officer, he continued an improper relationship with a member of staff at the Algerian Embassy after his involvement in an investigation had concluded. This contact was not correctly reported or recorded. "It is also alleged that between March 29 and June 22 2019, the officer passed information to members of staff at the Algerian Embassy without a proper policing purpose and should not have done so." The officer is also accused of accessing a criminal file about a neighbour when he was not involved in the investigation and should not have done so. The notice added: "It is alleged that between January 18 and February 13 2019, the officer viewed a criminal intelligence report relating to a neighbour three times. "On April 6 and 7 2019 the officer viewed a crime report in relation to the same neighbour and investigation. The officer was not involved in the investigation and should not have viewed either report. "It is further alleged that this conduct, if proven, amounts to gross misconduct in that it is so serious as to justify dismissal." Officers are usually named during force misconduct proceedings, but Legally Qualified Chairs (LQCs), who lead the panels, can withhold their identities if there are concerns about issues such as mental health, the identification of vulnerable witnesses or sensitive policing roles. The Sunday Express reported last month concerns that too many officer's names are being withheld. A Met Police spokeswoman said: "An application was made by the defence for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the officer’s role. "This was approved by the LQC." She said he had not been charged with any criminal offences, despite the alleged actions potentially amounting to misconduct in public office. She added: "He is currently suspended on full pay. He has not been charged with any offence. We wouldn’t go into any further details/answer questions around that until the conclusion of the hearing."