Metropolitan police officers must tell their bosses if they are Freemasons, the force has announced, amid fears membership could be linked to corruption.<\/p>\n
Britain\u2019s largest force said anyone who was part or had been a member of a \u201chierarchical organisation that require members to support and protect each other\u201d must declare it.<\/p>\n
The body representing Freemasons condemned the rule and said it would consider legal action.<\/p>\n
The issue of Freemasons in the Met has been long-running, but previous commissioners have either thought tougher rules were not justified or not worth the pain.<\/p>\n
The current commissioner, Mark Rowley, was moved to act as part of his drive to show the public the force can be trusted.<\/p>\n
The Guardian also understands, however, that a recent case of alleged wrongdoing in the force contains allegations that acts under investigation may be linked to Freemasonry.<\/p>\n
The Met has held intelligence for years of potential corruption linked to personal relationships formed through membership of the Freemasons, but nothing has been proved.<\/p>\n
The force says it surveyed its officers and staff, and that two-thirds backed the restriction because it \u201caffects public perception of police impartiality\u201d.<\/p>\n
Commander Simon Messinger said: \u201cAfter such conclusive results from our consultation, we have decided now is the right time to address longstanding concerns and that public and staff confidence must take precedence over the secrecy of any membership organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur decision does not mean any member of staff cannot join the Freemasons or another similar organisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adrian Marsh of the United Grand Lodge of England said: \u201cOur values of integrity, friendship, respect and service are paramount in Freemasonry and have never been of more importance. We see this action as unwarranted, and we are carefully considering an appropriate response.\u201d<\/p>\n
The issue has dogged policing, with numerous allegations that Freemasonry membership has led to people covering up for wrongdoing in keeping the organisation\u2019s credo that members stand by one another.<\/p>\n
The official inquiry into the 1987 murder of the private investigator Daniel Morgan and police corruption that hampered the hunt to find his killers recommended tighter rules on Freemasons in policing.<\/p>\n
The inquiry\u2019s report in 2021 said:<\/a> \u201cA source of recurring suspicion and mistrust in the investigations of Daniel Morgan\u2019s murder has been police officers\u2019 membership of the Freemasons.\u201d<\/p>\n It noted that one detective involved was a Freemason who later went to work with a prime suspect, and that \u201c10 police officers who were prominent in the Daniel Morgan murder investigations were Freemasons\u201d.<\/p>\n But it also stated: \u201cThe panel has not seen evidence that masonic channels were corruptly used in connection with either the commission of the murder or to subvert the police investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n Police lodges have been set up, such as the Manor of St James for Met officers, and Sine Favore, which was set up in 2010 by Police<\/a> Federation members.<\/p>\n One of those was the Met officer John Tully, who went on to chair the federation. After his retirement from policing, he was an administrator at the United Grand Lodge of England.<\/p>\n Tully told the Guardian that membership never did him any favours, serving his entire career as a constable. \u201cIf they are going to make Freemasons declare their membership, are they going to make them declare their membership of their local tennis club? They need to be consistent,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The former Police Federation chair Steve White has said Freemasons were blocking reform and thwarting the progress of women and people from black and minority ethnic communities<\/a> in the ranks.<\/p>\n In a Guardian interview to mark his departure as the leader of rank-and-file officers in England and Wales in 2017, he said: \u201cThere have been occasions when colleagues of mine have suspected that Freemasons have been an obstacle to reform.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure that people are making decisions for the right reasons and there is a need for future continuing cultural reform in the Fed, which should be reflective of the makeup of policing.\u201d<\/p>\n