The first 10 officers called back from retirement to help the Met cope with the COVID-19 pandemic have started work two weeks after the force made its appeal.

A second intake of 17 officers will begin their training today (Tuesday).

The Commissioner, Cressida Dick, wrote to PCs and Sergeants who had retired in the last five years or who were approaching retirement to re-join as or remain a member of the Met.

Over 30 former officers have also applied to return as Special Constables, committing to at least 16 hours a week.

Some 307 other ex-officers who fall outside the current scheme and who retired more than five years ago have offered to volunteer.

PC Stuart Hepburn, 53 who retired from the Met in 2017, will be dealing with emergency calls in the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Westminster - including Oxford Street, which was his first beat.

PC Hepburn joined the force in 1987 when he was 21. During his 30-year career, he worked with the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection (PaDP) unit.

He said: "I felt I couldn't sit at home and watch - I wanted to help, so I applied straight away.

"I'm looking forward to seeing old colleagues again and the camaraderie that comes with the 'job' that is really like no other."

Fellow returnee Detective Sergeant Andrew Yeoman, 48, retired last year after 27 years of service.

He began his policing career in 1991 based in Ilford, east London, before training as a detective in 1998 and going on to work in investigative and covert roles with the Homicide Task Force and the Flying Squad.

DS Yeoman has now been deployed to investigate crime in the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, and Havering.

He said: "I just felt I had to come back and help because that is what I joined to do all those years ago.

"The process of returning has been quick and I am looking forward to the challenge and the rewards that come with policing in London all over again."

The Commissioner has also appealed to serving Met officers nearing 30 years' pensionable service to delay their retirement.