A Met officer is to be suspended from duty after being charged with assault and false imprisonment at a property in Twickenham.

PC Sam Grigg, who is attached to the South West Basic Command Unit, which covers the Richmond borough, was charged today – Thursday – in connection with a criminal investigation.

He is due to appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

The offence is alleged to have taken place at a house in Twickenham on Friday, December 2, when the officer was off-duty, and was reported on Tuesday, 6 December.

The suspect and the victim – a woman aged in her 20s – are known to each other. The woman suffered minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment.

Commander Jon Savell, in charge of the Met's professional standards team, said: "I recognise this news will cause concern and I would like to reassure the public that we took immediate steps as soon as the report was received by police.

"As criminal proceedings are now active, it would inappropriate to comment further."

The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed. A referral will also be made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.