Boris Johnson has said he was “shocked and deeply saddened” after human remains were discovered in the search for Sarah Everard.
A serving Metropolitan Police officer, who is in his 40s, is being questioned on suspicion of the 33-year-old’s kidnap and murder.
London Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said on Wednesday night that remains had been found in an area of woodland in Ashford in Kent by detectives investigating Ms Everard’s disappearance.
Thousands of women are sharing their anxieties and anger about their safety when alone in public places following the disappearance in south London.
A 'reclaim the streets' vigil is to be held in Clapham, London, this weekend. Organisers said it was "wrong that the response to violence against women requires women to behave differently".
The Prime Minister said: “I am shocked and deeply saddened by the developments in the Sarah Everard investigation.
“Like the whole country, my thoughts are with her family and friends. We must work fast to find all the answers to this horrifying crime.”
The officer, who is in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, was held on Tuesday night on suspicion of kidnap before being further arrested on suspicion of murder and a separate allegation of indecent exposure the following day.
Dame Cressida sought to reassure the public, saying “it is thankfully incredibly rare for a woman to be abducted from our streets”.
She added: “But I completely understand that, despite this, women in London and the wider public – particularly those in the area where Sarah went missing – will be worried and may well be feeling scared.”
The Met said the arrested officer’s main job was uniformed patrol of diplomatic premises, but would not specify where he had worked. He was not on duty at the time of Ms Everard’s disappearance.
The diplomatic protection squad is responsible for guarding the Parliamentary estate, including Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, as well as embassies in London.
A woman in her 30s has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
In a statement, Dame Cressida said: “The news today that it was a Metropolitan Police officer arrested on suspicion of Sarah’s murder has sent waves of shock and anger through the public and through the whole of the Met.
“I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in the Met when I say we are utterly appalled at this dreadful news. Our job is to patrol the streets and to protect people.”
Investigators are continuing to work “around the clock” on what Dame Cressida described as a “very fast moving” case.
The remains have not yet been identified and it could take some time to do so, the Commissioner added.
