Thank you, sir.

No, I don't, sir, but thank you for that opportunity.

I think if you're a police officer -- being a police officer is about values. Contrary to some perhaps recent reports, it's not about the academic qualifications you have, no matter how beneficial they may be, and it is about standards of integrity, honesty, probity. They are the sort ...

It's an absolute no-no. I know previous chairmen of the local federation in the Metropolitan Police are on public record as saying that it is an absolute no-no. Bribery is something that is anathema to the vast majority of police officers and in my service as a Metropolitan officer ...

Sir Denis O'Connor is a man who we hold in extremely high regard in the Federation, and he is a man who does consult with us on most of his reports that are going forward and affect our members, and we're grateful for that consultation.

At a national level.

Again, we're supportive of what Elizabeth Filkin's saying in relation to the sort of parameters that should be set, but again, we need to have clear guidance here for officers, exactly what is acceptable and what's not. I think that's been missing in the past.

That's correct, yes.

Well, again, I'm making reference to Elizabeth Filkin's report where I think she has said that there's been some surprise in certainly a force about some of the things that have been revealed in the last year or so.

Sir, again, Elizabeth Filkin, I think, in her first appendix, lists the various acts that officers are subject to when they're dealing with the press, and there are a whole range of sanctions that can be imposed on officers where the penalties will include imprisonment if they go outside ...

Yes.

I think it's a bit like the curate's egg, sir. It will be good in some parts of the country and not in others, depending on the confidence that that particular officer has locally. Perhaps some sort of independent avenue would be -- would assist those officers who don ...

They do report upwards, yes.

Sorry, upwards, yes. Report upwards.

Yes. Yes.

No. The Police Service in England and Wales, sir, is one that's a disciplined organisation, and officers know only too well that if they step outside or if there's a problem that's identified, that they are subject to the discipline code. Similarly, if an officer sees somebody ...

No, it's not a common experience, and I think, reading Elizabeth Filkin's report and Sir Denis O'Connor's report, there seems to be an indication there that the Professional Standards Department perhaps feel there are problems with leaking but haven't brought many cases to conclusion.

That's correct, yes.

Yes, I do. I think there is some confusion about what the definition actually means, sir.

Yes.

I don't see it as it a major problem across the country, sir. It's not one that's been brought to my attention.

If you would wish for the Federation's solicitor, Russell Jones Walker, to correspond with you on that matter, I'm sure that will be able to be done, yes.

No, unfortunately it's not.

Yes, we would.

Yes, we're very strong on this point, sir. We believe that we should have national standards across the whole range of training within the Police Service, and it's something that we've called on government to ensure happens, not just in relation to media training but in training ...

The answer is no, we haven't had any feedback.

In a question further on, sir, which refers to Elizabeth Filkin's report, I was going to make comment in relation to the general culture within the service about how officers feel in relation to the press. If you wish me to answer now, I'm happy to do so.

And also, sir, we haven't asked them.

Sorry, sir.

No, that wouldn't be the case. There would be some specialist roles. Perhaps a chief inspector might be an SIO, senior investigating officer in a murder case, and then they would have contact with the media, and there might be local press liaison officers who are identified for each ...

The vast majority of police officers and police staff, I have to say, will have little or no contact with the media throughout the whole service. We're not a pyramidal organisation, we're very much a flat-bottomed organisation and the vast majority of officers will be at constable, sergeant ...

The vast majority are subscribing members. We don't have figures to say exactly how many don't subscribe, but anecdotally, it is a mere handful.

That's correct, yes.

That is right, yes.

It is indeed, yes.

That's correct, sir, yes.

I am by statute, sir, yes.

Yes, that is our primary function, sir.

No, we were set up, I think, not to be a trade union, sir.

All 43 which are Home Office forces, yes. We don't cover the British Transport Police and one or two other smaller forces.

That is correct, yes.

That's correct.

That's correct, yes.

That's correct, sir, yes.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir.

That's correct.

They are, sir, yes.

That's correct, sir, yes.

That's correct, sir, yes.