Serving MPS officer guilty of soliciting a prostitute

Police Constable Tristan Downing, attached to the Central North Basic Command Unit, was arrested during a police operation in Edmonton, North London, targeting those who exploit sex workers. He was charged in the early hours of Friday, January 14.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (February 28) where he pleaded guilty to the charges. He was fined £450 and ordered to pay £85 court costs and £45 witness tax, to be paid within 14 days.

The court heard the officer was off-duty at the time of his arrest and he wanted the court to know that he was very sorry and ashamed by his arrest. He is currently on restricted duties and misconduct proceedings will now take place following his conviction.

Commander Andy Carter, in charge of policing in Camden and Islington, said: “We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our officers both on, and off, duty and this officer’s actions fell way below these expectations.

“He was caught as the result of a proactive operation targeting those who exploit sex workers. The Met is committed to rooting out all officers who break the law or are involved in dishonest or disreputable behaviour.”

“We cannot and are not waiting for the findings of ongoing inquiries to begin rebuilding the public’s trust and confidence that police officers will protect and respect them. We have already taken a number of significant steps to start real change across the organisation.

“These include two independent reviews, an examination of all current investigations of sexual and domestic abuse allegations against Met employees and an increase in the number of investigators in our professional standards directorate.

“The Met is driven by the values of professionalism, integrity, courage and compassion. We only want the best and will always act when our employees fall below the exemplary standards we and the public expect.”