West Ham United announced on Friday that they will make defender James Tomkins carry out work in the local community after he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer.

The 25-year-old centre-back was fined £3,500 ($5,600, 4,500 euros) by a court on Monday after pleading guilty to assaulting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly outside a nightclub in December.

Rather than impose their own financial penalty, West Ham have decided to oblige Tomkins to do extra community work, including coaching young and disabled footballers in the local area.

"Getting him out in the community, particularly when he's a West Ham boy, is a much better punishment than fining him," West Ham manager Sam Allardyce told a press conference.

"The bottom line is he shouldn't have got himself into that situation or that position. He should show more responsibility."