HC Deb 07 July 1983 vol 45 c141W
Mr. Fox

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department draws the attention of retiring chief constables to any restrictions on their publishing their memoirs; in what terms; and under what authority.

Mr. Hurd

There areat present no restrictions on publication by retired police officers, other than the civil and criminal law.

Mr. Ashton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what communication his Department received on 8 June from a solicitor acting for Mrs. Doreen Hill protesting about the proposal of the ex-chief constable of the West Yorkshire police to publish his memoirs; what action his department took; and why it took until 24 June to send a reply from the Under-Secretary of State.

Mr. Britton

The letter from the solicitors acting for Mrs. Hill raised a number of issues which required careful consideration. It was clear at an early stage that there was no effective action which the Government could take to prevent the publication of these memoirs, but Mr. Gregory was made aware that I believed that such a transaction would do serious harm to the reputation of the police service and would be widely criticized, and that I would not defend it.

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