§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the reasons why he will not take steps to prevent serving police officers, while in office, participating in radio or television programmes or writing articles without the specific authority of the Home Secretary, except where they are acting in furtherance of a specific police inquiry.
§ Mr. Whitelaw:Police regulations require officers of all ranks to abstain at all times from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of their 29W duties, or to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it might so interfere; in particular, police officers are precluded from taking any active part in politics. It would, in my view, be wrong for me to seek to impose restrictions beyond those which Parliament has approved.