POLICE officers accused of using excessive force on suspects in custody at Charing Cross police station have been suspended after sharing anti-Muslim messages, it was revealed yesterday.

A Panorama documentary last night found that nine serving and one former officer, and one designated detention officer, allegedly used excessive force, made discriminatory and misogynistic comments, and failed to report or challenge inappropriate behaviour.

On Tuesday, watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which has launched its own inquiry into the claims, said that the 11 were under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

One constable was also under criminal investigation, accused of perverting the course of justice.

The alleged incidents are said to have occurred while those said to have been involved were both on and off duty between August 2024 and January 2025.

Messages shared are understood to include support for far-right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who uses the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, and anti-Muslim sentiment.

The entire custody team at Charing Cross has been disbanded and moved elsewhere in the wake of the allegations.

Nine officers at the centre of the claims have been suspended while the IOPC inquiry continues.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley took up the post three years ago, tasked with cleaning up the force at arguably one of the most troubled times in its history.

He vowed to kick wrongdoers out of the Met in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, and another being unmasked as a serial rapist who targeted victims over nearly 20 years.

Separate, earlier allegations linked to Charing Cross police station led to his predecessor Dame Cressida Dick leaving her job after London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he could no longer support her.

A 2022 report by the IOPC revealed officers had exchanged highly offensive messages, including repeated jokes about rape, domestic violence and violent racism, as well as homophobic language and derogatory terms for disabled people.

The IOPC took the unusual step of publishing the messages in full and said the behaviour it had uncovered was “disgraceful.”