A serving police officer has told a regional daily that colleagues should be allowed to speak directly to the media without involving force PR departments.
The unnamed officer spoke out in the Plymouth Herald after new draft guidelines published by the College of Policing urged police to brief journalists off the record only in exceptional circumstances.
The guidance also notes that officers and staff should refer to a press officer before speaking to the media “if in doubt”.
However, the guidelines state that as a key principle police officers should communicate directly with the media if they are the person responsible for communicating about a particular issue and if there is a “policing purpose” for doing so.
The long-serving Plymouth-based response officer told the Herald: “I feel there needs to be a working relationship between media and officers.
“This can be a fine balance at times, but on the whole if conducting within policy and for policing purposes I can not see anything wrong.
“Often it would be more beneficial if the press did contact an officer directly, who has knowledge of their particular case or incident, than going to the press office.”
A consultation on the draft guidelines is now under way and runs until 8 July.
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Our local daily paper has spent the last two years having a pop at the Police so very very doubtful that any officer has the slightest inclination to speak to them, on or off the record.
Report this comment
Plump pudding, Brighton. I guess you mean the under-staffed one with a pathetic circulation of about 12,000 for whole of Sussex. I can’t imagine it has any influence at all now with plod or anyone else , though it used to be great.
Here’s the story for those who don’t know. Top cops don’t see it as their job to help local rags fill their columns and they are obsessed by the (fictional) fear of crime. Actually compared with some counties Sussex police has a very good press office.
Report this comment
And sometimes a favoured few journo’s get the nod…..
Report this comment
Stranger on the shore, yes you are correct on all you say. The Police Press office and Brighon & Hove Albion are the ONLY lifelines the paper has left. The Police Press office often feel they write the paper most days, and of course the Albion assist at the other end of the paper.
The paper even put a Kent, Dymchurch story in yesterday due the fact the it shared the same English Channel.
The once stepping stone to the Nationals is now a stepping stone to filling shelves at Tesco’s, without the aggro and far more opportunity for a safer future, with less hours and bigger pay packet.
Report this comment
I always found there was a massive generational difference between officers’ attitude to a newspaper. I spoke to a few in the same room once and there was one who was in his early 40s, proper Grant Mitchell-type meathead and he was well up for chatting about anything. His boss though was about 10 years younger and straight out of the Tony Blair guide to policing, he kept trying to interrupt Ross Kemp and tone down his language but he was having none of itm, very entertaining afternoon.
Report this comment
As an aside I am perplexed why so many hacks, especially on weeklies where editing is not good, attribute cops press releases by splattering “police said” in the intro and throughout the copy. It rather shows signs of nervousness, police said.
Report this comment
Thames Valley’s press office has often demonstrated ham-fisted and unhelpful contact with the press. Occasionally they’re OK. Also, I’ve sometimes been alarmed by unfair jabs or inaccuracies some reporters/editors have made against police and so no wonder they often don’t trust us as well! They think we’re a “necessary evil”, a TVP inspector once told me. We’ve got to co-exist – somehow.
Report this comment
plump pudding. The dramatic decline of this once fantastic paper is one of the saddest aspects of the journocide in what is left of the industry. The staff there do as well as they can under the circumstances, but anyone can see the drop in quality and coverage, which barely touches anything outside Brighton. I agree totally with you on its huge reliance on crime and Brighton football. I fear if the Albion dropped a couple of divisions with subsequent dive in sales the paper would pretty quickly become a weekly. Fortunately that does not look likely.
Report this comment
I once got shafted by a cop who gave me a great line on a story over a cup of tea and when the sh hit the fan denied ever saying it. I took it on the chin, as you did.
Report this comment
cops and hacks. natural bed mates surely?
Report this comment