Police Officers May Have To Declare Freemasonry Ties

Police officers in Britain's largest force may soon be required to declare if they are Freemasons, under new plans being considered by the Metropolitan Police.

The force has launched a consultation on adding Freemasonry to its list of "declarable associations" amid concerns that membership could affect investigations, promotions or misconduct cases.

Freemasons pledge loyalty to the fraternity and to supporting fellow members. The Met has never banned officers from joining and does not currently record how many belong.

Under existing policy, officers must declare links that could compromise their integrity or damage the force's reputation. These include connections with people who have criminal convictions, former officers dismissed from policing, or certain professions such as private investigation or journalism.

The proposal follows the 2021 report into the unsolved 1987 axe murder of private detective Daniel Morgan, which concluded that police membership of Freemasonry had been a "source of recurring suspicion and mistrust" in investigations. While the panel found no evidence that Masonic links were corruptly used to obstruct inquiries, it noted concerns that officers' Masonic loyalties might conflict with their duty to colleagues and the public.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously rejected the idea of a compulsory Freemasonry register, warning it could breach human rights.

Met Commander Simon Messinger said: "We are now consulting on a proposal to add involvement in Freemasonry – and potentially other organisations that could call impartiality into question – to our list of declarable associations. This does not prevent any member of staff joining, but it means we will know who is a part of it. Strengthening the trust both our own staff and London's communities have in the Met is a core part of our New Met for London plan and ambitions."

Senior officers will discuss the plans with the United Grand Lodge of England, the governing body for Freemasonry in England and Wales.

The Met says it already has one of the strongest vetting systems in UK policing, with entry refusal rates more than doubling from 5 per cent in 2020–21 to 11 per cent in 2023–24.

Broadgate Legal