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Police could be banned from accepting meals or drinks from journalists

This article is more than 11 years old
Theresa May tells Leveson inquiry that Acpo has drafted guidelines based on a 'blanket non-acceptability' of hospitality
The home secretary, Theresa May, discusses new guidelines that could ban police officers from accepting lunches, dinners or drinks from journalists ITN

Police officers could be banned from accepting lunches, dinners or drinks from journalists under draft guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

The new proposals were submitted to the Leveson inquiry and are based on "a shift to a blanket non-acceptability" of anything other than "light refreshments and trivial and inexpensive gifts".

Acpo's new guidelines are designed to iron out the huge discrepancies in attitudes towards hospitality and gifts between police forces around the country that have emerged since the phone-hacking scandal blew up last summer.

Senior Metropolitan police officers were wined and dined at top London restaurants such as The Ivy by senior News International executives and journalists such as Neil Wallis, while other forces considered having a drink with journalists inappropriate.

A spokeswoman for Acpo said the guidelines were still at draft stage and had yet to go to the chief constables' council for ratification.

Acpo has at the same time submitted new guidelines to Lord Justice Leveson which recommend that police officers make a note of all meetings, whether on or off the record, with journalists. These have already been ratified and are being issued to the 43 forces around the country.

The guidelines have also been submitted to the home secretary, Theresa May, who told the Leveson inquiry she did not believe they would have "a chilling effect" on the media.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, she said: "The important thing is for officers to know where the line is drawn between who they are able to speak to and what they are able to say in those conversations.

"It shouldn't have a chilling effect but I think what's important is that we have a framework that doesn't have a chilling effect and the framework that enables common sense to be operated in these relationships."

The full Acpo guidelines on hospitality state that it is acceptable for police to take bona fide gifts from victims of crime or communities.

"Acpo guidance has been drafted to provide a more consistent service-wide approach to gifts, gratuities and hospitality, based on a shift to a blanket non-acceptability, save for certain circumstances of a commonsense approach to the provision of light refreshments and trivial and inexpensive gifts of bona fide and genuine gratitude from victims or communities."

Accepting gifts or lavish hospitality could be "considered a breach of criminal law", but even a "low level of hospitality" could also be considered a "breach of integrity".

May told the inquiry she thought the hospitality rules were "a sensible approach". She said: "The expectation is officers should not put themselves in a position where people could feel that they were being influenced by the receipt of such gifts."

Leveson said he was not sure whether police should be forced to make a note of conversations they had with journalists but he would give this "consideration" when he draws up his final report.

The full text of the draft guidance on media relations states: "The guidance makes clear an expectation that any officer or member of staff meeting in private with a journal must make a note of the meeting or disclosure which should be recorded in either a diary or pocket book. Where an officer or member of staff speaks to the media about a significant operational or organisational matter, a record of the conversation should be made (unless in a public forum)."

Acpo does not have the power to force officers to comply, but it is unlikely that its guidelines will be ignored in the present climate.

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