The Metropolitan police are considering measures that could require officers to inform superiors if they are a member of the Freemasons after concerns were raised about the impact that being part of the group could have.
The force, which is the largest in the country, has started a consultation on adding the group to its declarable associations policy.
Freemasons swear an oath of loyalty to the organisation and to supporting fellow members. The Met does not currently collect information about how many officers are masons and has never banned officers from joining.
Scotland Yard said concerns had been raised by officers and staff about the impact membership might have on âinvestigations, promotions and misconductâ.
Existing declarable associations include people with criminal convictions, those dismissed from policing and people in some professions such as private investigation or journalism. Officers and staff have to declare any association with an individual or group that might compromise their integrity or damage the reputation of the force.
The Freemasons move was recommended by the 2021 independent panel report on the forceâs handling of the unsolved 1987 murder of Daniel Morgan. The private detective, 37, was killed with an axe in the car park of the Golden Lion pub in Sydenham, south-east London.
Several inquiries over the decades unearthed allegations of corruption. The 2021 report said officersâ membership of the Freemasons had been âa source of recurring suspicion and mistrust in the investigationsâ.
Cmdr Simon Messinger, of the Met, said: âWe are now consulting on a proposal to add to that list involvement in Freemasonry â and potentially other organisations that could call impartiality into question or give rise to conflict of loyalties â and are keen to hear the views of our officers and staff.
âThis does not prevent any member of staff joining the Freemasons or another similar organisation, but it means we will know who is a part of it. Strengthening the trust both our own staff and Londonâs communities have in the Met is a core part of our New Met for London plan and ambitions.â
The London mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is responsible for setting the strategic direction of policing in the capital, has previously ruled out a compulsory register of freemasonry in the Met, saying it could go against officersâ human rights.
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Senior officers will discuss the proposed policy change with the United Grand Lodge of England, the headquarters of Freemasonry in England and Wales.
The consultation, involving officers and staff, the Police Federation and other representative bodies, will seek views on the move.
Until now the Met had viewed the existing policy on declarable associations as sufficient. The force said it continued to receive intelligence reports and general expressions of concern from officers and staff who worried about the impact that membership of such an organisation could be having on investigations, promotions and misconduct.
While the number of such reports was low, they had to be taken seriously, the force said.
