Illegal immigrant worked as Met helper

An investigation is under way today into how an illegal immigrant whose asylum application had been rejected by the Home Office got a job as one of London's new police community support officers.

With the 30-year-old Kenyan now deported, Metropolitan Police chiefs are trying to discover how he was trained and accepted for the £19,000-a-year CSO post at Lewisham while immigration officers were trying to trace him. The scandal only came to light when he was reported by a friend and arrested last week.

There has been growing concern about the training community-support officers receive - three weeks compared with 19 weeks for a regular officer - and their vetting procedure. Glen Smyth, chairman of the Met's Police Federation branch, voiced his concern over the case.

He said: "It would appear much of the vetting is based on what the recruit tells us as opposed to what is actually checked out. This case supports the concerns we have had. It simply should not have happened."

A Scotland Yard spokesman said checks were made on the unnamed man which showed he had the right to seek employment in the UK but not to stay indefinitely.

The spokesman added: "His immigration status subsequently changed when he was refused leave to further appeal against a decision to reject his asylum claim.

"He did not notify us of any change in his status. Since this incident changes have been made to the selection process."