View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
July 12, 2001updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

ACPO to urge police to adopt more open attitude

By Press Gazette

Elizabeth Neville

 

Chief constables are to be reminded that Association of Chief Police Officers’ guidelines encourage them to be open with the press.

With some editors now so frustr-ated with the lack of crime details coming from the police that they are threatening to withdraw all co-operation, ACPO media advisory committee chairman Elizabeth Neville has agreed to write to all chief constables.

Neville met Society of Editors’ executive director Bob Satchwell and lawyers from the Newspaper Society and the BBC on Tuesday to hear editors’ concerns and examples of the close-down on information they claim they are experiencing from forces around the country.

Key worries include their belief that police officers are not asking crime victims in a positive way whether they want their names used in stories – Satchwell told Neville that in 98 per cent of cases incidents were being reported to the media without names.  "That beggars belief," he said, giving her examples where police officers had said to the public: "You don’t want this in the paper, do you?"

Satchwell said: "It was a useful meeting and an intelligent exchange of views. We agreed that she and we would encourage meetings between chief constables and our editors at local level to address these issues. She and her colleagues did seem to accept that some of the instances where details were withheld were just plain silly."

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

In turn, he promised to urge restraint on those editors close to breaking off relations with local forces.

ACPO spokesman Peter Shipley said: "While amending the guidelines is not an issue, clearly there are some concerns. We feel it would be helpful for Elizabeth Neville to remind her colleagues the basis of our approach is to encourage openness and the guidelines are not intended to be used to restrict or limit information."

By Jean Morgan

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network