Queen Elizabeth addresses dignitaries during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace
Queen Elizabeth addresses dignitaries during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in central London, on day one of the President of Singapore Tony Tan's state visit to Britain October 21, 2014. The President of Singapore Tony Tan and his wife Mary Chee started a four day state visit to Britain on Tuesday. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski/Pool

A Royal Protection officer was arrested after ammunition had been found in Buckingham Palace personal lockers. The arrested officer is not in charge of guarding any Royal Family member.

According to the Scotland Yard, the ammunition is believed to have been taken from the force's supplies. The ammunition was found by officers several weeks back. The arrested officer belongs to the unit which protects the Royal Household. The officer is now being questioned for unlawful possession of ammunition and suspicion of misconduct in public office, BBC reported. He is going to be suspended from duty while he is kept under custody at a police station in London. His home address has also been searched by investigators. Additionally, the police building where the ammunition has been discovered is also searched.

According to reports, the Royal family is aware of the investigation. In addition, the Independent Police Complaints Commission was also informed. The force said that the Directorate of Professional Standards had started the investigation a number of weeks back. The investigation began after Royalty Protection officers had reported about the ammunition found in their personal lockers. The Telegraph reported that a force spokesman gave details of the arrested officer. "The officer arrested is from the unit responsible for protecting the Royal Household (SO14) and normally works in a protection role, although he is not assigned to guard any individual member of the Royal Family," he said.

The spokesman also said that by Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley had made an announcement in the previous week that the Metropolitan Police was working with its Protection Command for the improvement of operational efficiency. Rowley also said that the change had exposed some pockets of poor behaviour. However, only the highest standards of personal behaviour are acceptable, he said. The investigation did not affect established security procedures. At the same time, the investigation did not influence the daily work of the officers in their duty to provide personal protection to the Royal Family.

The units have some of the most highly trained officers in the Met. They are completely aware of the great responsibility and privilege of their positions, the spokesman said.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au