At a glance
• The College of Policing has issued guidance encouraging officers to engage more openly with journalists and share key details such as suspects’ nationality and ethnicity
• Forces will be urged to publish more on misconduct cases, prosecution decisions and criminal convictions to strengthen the relationship between police and media
• Editors and police leaders welcomed the move as a major step in improving transparency and public confidence
Police will be actively encouraged to speak to journalists and provide more information about suspects under draft guidance seeking to repair a “decade-long fractured relationship”.
Editors hailed the move as a “positive shift towards a more open, constructive” dialogue.
The College of Policing unveiled proposals to urge forces to be more open about an accused’s nationality and ethnicity in high-profile investigations to combat misinformation on social media.
The Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police have already adopted this policy.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said it is right to release the ethnicity of suspects - even if the information might “embolden racists”.
The professional body also recommends “regular, meaningful interaction and engagement”, particularly between press offices and “key” reporters and outlets.
However, the new guidance does not apply to “citizen journalists or content gatherers” without a valid press card.
Forces will be advised to publish more information about police misconduct, provide reasons why they are dropping prosecutions and issue photos of criminals on conviction.
It follows a series of recommendations by the Crime Reporters Association and the Society of Editors, after an independent review into the case of missing mother Nicola Bulley concluded that the relationship and trust between the media and police was broken.
Now chief constables want to send a message that police communication is “trustworthy” after public confidence has been shaken by various high-profile investigations.
Merseyside Police was heavily criticised for failing to tackle misinformation that led to riots after Axel Rudakubana murdered three children in Southport last summer.
The draft guidance is being put to public consultation before being issued to forces in England and Wales.
Rebecca Camber, chairwoman of the CRA, said she was “delighted”, adding: “The walls are finally coming down.
“Two years ago, the Nicola Bulley review warned the Leveson Inquiry had cast a decade-long shadow fracturing the relationship between the police and the media.
“Now, for the first time engagement between officers of all ranks and the media is being positively encouraged, forces are being told to open up and respond at pace in major investigations.”
Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh said: “We’ve seen the tremendous impact that quick, clear, and robust communications can have in reassuring the public and dispelling misinformation.”
Deputy Chief Constable Sam de Reya, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s lead for communications and engagement, added: “This draft guidance reflects a shared commitment to improving transparency and strengthening relationships with the media in the public interest.
“We welcome the constructive engagement from media partners and look forward to continued collaboration as the guidance is refined.”
Dawn Alford, chief executive of the Society of Editors, said: “Today’s draft APP guidance represents an important and positive shift towards a more open, constructive relationship between the police and the media.
“Clearer expectations around engagement, transparency and the role of journalists reporting from the scene will all help strengthen public confidence and support accurate, public interest reporting.”
She added: “We are pleased to see the value of regular dialogue recognised, as well as greater clarity around how key information can, and should, be shared. These are meaningful improvements that reflect the benefits of working together.”
