Recommendation DM-14: Register membership of organisations like Freemasons
From The Report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, published 15 June 2021.
Recommendation
All police officers and police staff should be obliged to register in confidence with the Chief Officer of their police force, at either their point of recruitment to the police force or at any point subsequent to their recruitment, their membership of any organisation, including the Freemasons, which might call their impartiality into question or give rise to the perception of a conflict of loyalties.
In brief (written by this site)
The Panel recommended requiring police officers and staff to register memberships, including the Freemasons. The Home Office stated in June 2023 that policing still needed to consider how to register potential conflicts of interest, noting a lack of evidence that legislation would resolve the issue while policing partners assessed conflicts as part of reviewing counter-corruption authorised professional practice (APP) (Home Office response, Jun 2023; Home Office, Jun 2023). In February 2026, Mr Justice Chamberlain noted in an Administrative Court judgment that an inter-agency working group concluded there was "no evidence base that Freemasonry is a significant factor in police corruption" (Mr Justice Chamberlain, Feb 2026).
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.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
2.2.17. There were concerns about Freemasonry, and the potential for conflicts of loyalty among Freemasons who were also police officers, in the initial investigations. The report itself accepted that membership of the Freemasons was not a factor in Daniel’s murder. However, policing still needs to consider how it registers potential conflicts of interest. There is currently a lack of evidence to suggest that legislation would resolve this issue, with policing partners undertaking an exercise to assess conflicts of interest between officers and organisations which could affect officers’ impartiality. This will continue to be reviewed as part of the updating of the counter-corruption APP in 2023, and as further potential conflicts for officers are identified.
Delivery
Home Office states no delivery position (15 June 2023)
However, policing still needs to consider how it registers potential conflicts of interest. There is currently a lack of evidence to suggest that legislation would resolve this issue, with policing partners undertaking an exercise to assess conflicts of interest between officers and organisations which could affect officers’ impartiality. This will continue to be reviewed as part of the updating of the counter-corruption APP in 2023, and as further potential conflicts for officers are identified.
From: Government response to the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Administrative Court (17 February 2026)
12. The Panel’s recommendation 14 is set out at [5] above. 13. In the light of this report, a working group called Operation Drayfurn was established, consisting of representatives of the College of Policing, the Home Office, the National Counter-Corruption Advisory Group and the MPS. This group found evidence of one case where a police sergeant had been dismissed from British Transport Police for providing confidential information to Freemason associates, but concluded that there was no evidence base that Freemasonry is a significant factor in police corruption.
From: R (United Grand Lodge of England and others) v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Mr Justice Chamberlain, Judge of the High Court
Metropolitan Police Service (11 December 2025)
In 2021, the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel recommended that officers and staff should be required to declare membership of organisations, including the Freemasons, that could present a potential conflict of interest. Similar recommendations have been made at various points in the past. The Met had been of the view that the existing policy on declarable associations was sufficient. However, we continued to receive intelligence reports and general expressions of concern from officers and staff worried about the impact, whether real or perceived, membership of such an organisation could be having on investigations, promotions and misconduct. The number of such reports has been relatively low, but they must be taken seriously. From Thursday, 11 December, officers and staff are required to declare a membership, past or present, of any potentially influential organisation that is hierarchical, has confidential membership and requires members to support and protect each other. Freemasonry is named as one of those organisations that must be declared, and if we have intelligence about other organisations in the future they may also be specifically added.
From: Hierarchical organisations added to declarable association policy
Site note: This is the Metropolitan Police Service's own announcement of a change to its declarable associations policy, and it covers that force. The recommendation is addressed to police officers and police staff of every force, and asks for registration with the Chief Officer. No body has said that this change discharges the recommendation.
Greater London Authority (25 June 2025)
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has published its response to the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report. Called Operation Dryfurn, this outlines the action taken by the MPS in response to the themes and recommendations in the report and sets out how it has worked with the other agencies named by the Panel as recommendations owners. In the case of recommendation 14, work on this is being led by the College of Policing, Home Office and National Police Chiefs’ Council. Currently, the MPS follows guidance outlined by the College of Policing and Home Office in this respect, which is national policy. Further information on the guidance the MPS is following and the progress of other work on this recommendation can be found in the MPS’s Operation Drayfurn report on pages 37-39.
From: Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report recommendation 14 progress, The Mayor of London, Mayor of London
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (22 March 2022)
The MPS’s lack of monitoring and oversight of declarable associations, business interests and gifts and hospitality is a cause of concern.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response, delivery statement - Administrative Court
Finding - Metropolitan Police Service
Finding - Greater London Authority
Finding - HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
Finding