Metropolitan Police to loosen press ties
The Metropolitan Police have announced that they are to sever their overly cosy relationship with the media after admitting its officers had become too close to the press.
It comes following an admission by Neil Garnham QC, who is representing the force, at an inquiry into press standards in the fallout from the hacking scandal. Garnam told the inquiry: “We acknowledge that not all of the MPS's relationships with the press in the past have met the test of being both ethical and transparent."
This would also see the met bar senior retired officers from taking employment with the papers for an agreed period.
Garnham also defended the force’s relationship with the media however, pointing out that a close dialogue was often required in order to fight crime and bolster public confidence, adding: “We suggest that a close and transparent working relationship between the police and media is critical and ensures both fair reporting and effective policing.
"A society in which there is no contact between the media and police is unhealthy and potentially undemocratic."