Met Police officer disciplined over sticker on van

A Metropolitan Police officer has been disciplined after a sticker used for marketing purposes by the force was put on a vehicle from another force.

The sticker, which reads "I've met the Met", was placed on a police vehicle from Wales which is in London to help provide security during the Olympics.

The officer received "management action", but was also referred to the Directorate of Professional Standards.

A second officer was also investigated but no action was taken in that case.

Inquiries into the matter have now been completed, the Met said.

'Over the top'

The Met said: "The Directorate of Professional Standards made enquiries regarding an allegation that a sticker saying 'I've met the Met' was placed on a mutual aid vehicle from Wales.

"The matter had been dealt with at the time and the officer involved had received management action.

"This was not a criminal matter and the DPS are no longer involved."

It is understood the police van was from north Wales, and an officer attached to the vehicle made a complaint about the sticker, even though it has been a long-standing part of police banter to place Met stickers on vehicles from other forces, the BBC's Danny Shaw said.

Earlier, when the Met said a misconduct investigation had been launched by the DPS, the Metropolitan Police Federation described it as a "heavy-handed" reaction.

The chairman of the police federation, John Tully, said he was not aware of the exact circumstances, but "to conduct a full-blown misconduct inquiry would appear to be over the top and a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

"It appears there's very little flexibility and discretion," he said.