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Veteran Member
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after human remains were found during the search for a missing Met police officer.
Veteran Westminster PC Gordon Semple, 59, was last seen on 1 April.
On Thursday, police found remains at a flat on the Peabody Estate in Southwark Street, south London, and arrested a 49-year-old at the address.
PC Semple, who had served as a police officer for 30 years, was seen on CCTV in Great Guildford Street at 15:00 BST last Friday. His partner reported him missing later the same evening.
Earlier, the officer, from Greenhithe, Dartford, had a work meeting at the Shard's Shangri-La hotel, which he left at about 12:30 BST.
Scotland Yard's homicide unit joined the search effort for PC Semple, leading to the discovery of the remains at the flat.
Commander Alison Newcomb said the find was a "significant development".
Due to condition of the remains, she said, it would take "some time" to establish a cause of death and carry out formal identification.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35993265
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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after human remains were found in the search for missing police officer Gordon Semple.
Forensics teams continue to scour the flat on the Peabody Estate, off Southwark Street, where the discovery was made on Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: "We are unable to make formal identification at this stage, but this is devastating news for all those involved in the search for Gordon.
Police divers started trawling the River Thames on Friday as more police units became involved in the search for the anti-social behaviour officer, 59.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crim...-for-missing-met-police-officer-a3220606.html
Police searched a housing association flat block in Southwark – yards from where Mr Semple was last seen on CCTV – yesterday after residents raised concerns about a “strong smell” coming from an apartment.
A 49-year-old man was arrested after human remains were discovered at one of the flats.
“I heard it was a cleaner who raised the alarm when they went to the flat and there was a strong smell.
“The people who live in the block are quite new, they’re mostly professionals who walk across the bridge to work in the City.”
Another resident said: “It was the caretaker who called the police. Residents had been concerned about the smell. There were lots of scented candles outside.
“But they were suspicious so they raised the alarm and the police came down and the next we know the place was crawling with cops.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crim...remains-found-in-southwark-flat-a3220661.html