Met officers are facing allegations that they are deliberately putting gang members in danger by dropping them off after questioning in their rivals’ territory, the police watchdog said today.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said that it had been told of “several occasions” in which young people detained by police over suspected gang activity had been taken and released in a different area that was known to be the “domain” of another gang.

The watchdog said that the reported incidents were “serious allegations” and said that it was now appealing for other young Londoners who might have experienced such treatment to submit complaints for it to investigate.

The IPCC’s revelations about the alleged practice come in a submission to an inquiry by the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee into gangs and youth crime.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz said that the allegations were deeply disturbing and suggested that Met officers were behaving in an “irresponsible” manner more suited to a television crime drama than real life.

He added: “I am astonished by these claims. It is right that our law enforcement agencies take every step to bring to justice those who are involved in gang crime, but it would be totally irresponsible to deliberately place anyone in a position where they could be vulnerable to an attack.

“This is not a scene from ‘The Wire’ and these actions may have serious implications which could affect people’s lives. We will want to examine these accusations when taking evidence from the police as our inquiry progresses.”

Scotland Yard responded by saying that such conduct was “unacceptable”, but that it had not received any complaints about the alleged practice for it to investigate.

But the IPCC’s submission to MPs makes clear that it is worried that the claims have genuine substance.

It states: “A number of stakeholders have told us on several occasions about young people who have been stopped or detained by police and accused of being a gang member before being transported in a police vehicle, and then dropped off (in their view, deliberately) in neighbouring housing estates or different parts of the city that are recognised as being the domain of rival gangs, thereby placing them at significant risk of being seriously hurt.

“These are serious allegations and we have actively encouraged organisations working with young people, and indeed young people themselves, to bring any relevant cases to our attention, or to make complaints about this issue where they feel confident to do so.”

Officials said that the watchdog had yet to begin any investigation into the Met’s conduct because it was still awaiting the submission of formal complaints.

They declined to give further details of the incidents, but said that the decision to present the allegations to MPs had only been taken after “serious thought” about the impact of putting such damaging claims into the public domain.

The Evening Standard can also reveal that similar concerns about police conduct have also been raised by the Howard League for Penal Reform in a new publication called “On our Side?” which discusses the relationship between young people and the police.

In a section on “extreme examples” of poor conduct by officers, it reports how young people “spoke of being dropped off by police in rival gang areas, where the police knew they would be at risk” if seen by rival gang members.

The document concedes that it might “be simpler to dismiss such accusations as fabrications and exaggerations of the young”, but says that “the use of such tactics and abuses has been corroborated by youth offending team workers and third sector organisations.”

It adds: “The blame for such practices may be due to a few rogue police officers, but they must be rooted out and investigated as they discredit whole police forces.”

The Met said it would investigate any complaints thoroughly.

A spokeswoman added: “This is a serious allegation which is not a recognised police practice and certainly would not be acceptable under any circumstances.

“We have not received any evidence from the IPCC regarding this matter and if any such allegations are made then they will be investigated accordingly.”

The IPCC’s submission also raises about the role of joint enterprise prosecutions, under which those who participate in a murder or other crimes can be charged with the offence even if they did not inflict any blow.

The watchdog emphasises that prosecutors’ use of the law could deter some people from joining gangs. But it also warns that “confusion over how the law work is preventing some witnesses from contacting police”, allowing some offenders to escaping justice.