Two officers from the Metropolitan Police's heavily criticised Sapphire sex crime unit could face criminal charges linked to claims that records were faked.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has passed files on a detective constable and a police constable to prosecutors, it confirmed yesterday.

The Met detective, who was referred to the IPCC in 2012, is facing allegations that he falsified entries on the crime reporting system relating to the submission of exhibits, advice from the Crown Prosecution Service and authorities from senior officers.

The claims emerged in May 2012 after a review of 21 of his live cases. The IPCC then also told the Met to look at 38 cases he had closed.

He was arrested the following month on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, and remains on bail.

The constable is accused of a potential conspiracy with the detective.

Scotland Yard's Sapphire unit, which has now been overhauled and renamed, came under fire for a series of failings over rape and sexual assault cases.

A review by the IPCC, published last year, found that officers based in Southwark, south London, had pressured victims into withdrawing their claims in a bid to boost detection rates.

The IPCC also confirmed yesterday that notices have been served on officers who are under investigation over allegations that a rape complaint was not handled properly by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2010.

It was alleged that they failed to carry out the investigation to the correct standards and failed to provide adequate support to the victim.