Recommendation L80: ACPO Post-employment Restrictions
From An Inquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press, published 29 November 2012.
Recommendation
Consideration should be given to the terms upon which ACPO rank officers are appointed and, in particular, whether these terms should include some limitation upon the nature of any employment within or by the media that can be undertaken without the approval of the relevant authority for a period of 12 months following the cessation of the appointment.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended considering 12-month post-employment media work restrictions for senior police officers. In May 2024, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, stated in a written answer that recommendations on the police and the press had been accepted by the government, the College of Policing, and the former Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and that all had been addressed (Lord Sharpe of Epsom, May 2024). The department had accepted the recommendation in February 2013, noting that it would work on implementation with police and crime commissioners and ACPO (Home Office, Feb 2013).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 2 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The Metropolitan Police Service, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services and the College of Policing have implemented or are implementing all of the Inquiry’s recommendations in relation to law enforcement. For example, the College of Policing have published a code of ethics and developed national guidance for police officers on how to engage with the press. Reforms in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 also strengthened protections for whistleblowers.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
PM David Cameron responded to all 92 recommendations with a single statement accepting them "in principle" or "in part". No per-recommendation response was published.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from National Police Chiefs Council or Police has been found in the sources searched (last checked 24 February 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Home Office (23 May 2024)
The Leveson Inquiry made eight recommendations (68 and 75-81) concerning the press and the police, focused on providing greater transparency and openness. These were accepted by the Government, the College of Policing and the then Association of Chief Police Officers (superseded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council). All the recommendations have been addressed.
From: Police: Journalism (written question HL4705)
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 68 and 75 to 81 together. The same words are recorded on L68, L75, L76, L77, L78, L79, L80 and L81.
Earlier findings (1)
Home Office (12 February 2013)
The Home Office accept this recommendation and we will work with PCCs and ACPO on its implementation.
From: Leveson Inquiry Report Recommendations - Home Office Response
Site note: The Home Office's response to each of the Leveson report's recommendations on policing, placed in the House of Commons Library as deposited paper DEP2013-0290. The document is undated; the date is that of the deposit's covering letter and of the Home Secretary's statement announcing it, 12 February 2013.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Home Office
Finding