Freemason police officers have said they never gave or received special treatment because they were members of the secretive organisation.
They’ve told Metro they fear for their careers after the Met Police announced a new requirement for its officers to reveal if they are Freemasons.
The policemen say they are being unfairly targeted for belonging to masonic lodges that ‘focus on raising money for charity’.
Officers have spoken out for the first time after the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) demanded an emergency injunction from the high court to stop the Met’s new policy.
In December, New Scotland Yard announced it was placing the organisation on its ‘declarative associations’ list for its staff, giving it the same status as previous criminal convictions.
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The force said concerns had been raised in a consultation with officers and staff over whether membership could impact ‘investigations, promotions and misconduct’.
The Met’s decision was recommended in 2021 by the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel, which said that Freemasonry had been ‘a source of recurring suspicion and mistrust in the investigations’ into the murder of the private detective in 1987.
But one long-serving Met officer, who has been a Freemason for 12 years, told Metro the move was ‘absolutely unfair’.
The policeman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: ‘I am completely surprised they are bringing this policy in.
‘Freemasonry is like a club. Why aren’t people are being made to declare they’re members of a rugby club or a golf club as well?
‘Being a Freemason and an officer are two separate entities. I don’t ever mix the two.’
He said only once, about 10 years ago, did he hear a fellow officer blame someone getting promoted due to membership of a masonic lodge.
Instead, he’s worried that his chances for promotion will be held back by revealing he is a Freemason.
The officer added: ‘I’ve got no idea what they are planning to do with the information after they’ve got it.
‘What if there are other jobs and roles, and then we are told, “No sorry, we can’t have you because you’re a Freemason.”‘
The officer said he is waiting to see how the Freemason’s legal challenge plays out in the courts before he decides whether to declare his membership.
According to UGLE, there are only 440 Freemasons amongst the 32,135 officers in the Met and only 1200 Freemason officers in the entire country.
Metro has seen a letter written by a different Met officer to UGLE, revealing that he once arrested the daughter of a Freemason.
‘She loudly claimed that her father’s connections would protect her,’ he said.
‘They did not. She was dealt with entirely appropriately through the criminal justice system.
‘My duty was clear, and I discharged it without hesitation or favour-just as I always have.’
The serving officer said he was ‘deeply upset, angry and profoundly disappointed’ to hear his reputation and the reputation of other Freemasons undermined by the Met’s new policy.
The officer, who had served for more than 10 years, wrote: ‘I dreamed of becoming a police officer from childhood.
‘Never did I imagine that my integrity would be implicitly questioned because of lawful membership of a centuries-old organisation devoted to moral improvement and charity.
‘The anguish this situation has caused has, for the first time in my life, led me to consider a career outside policing.’
While the Met is the only force which has announced such a policy, other officers now fear it could spread to other regions.
One serving officer in south west England told Metro he was worried the change will ‘catch on’ and hinder his chances of progressing in his career.
‘Are they going turn around and say, “Well, you’re a Freemason so we can’t promote you”?’ the policeman said.
‘At what point does prying into a officer’s personal life stop?
‘Does it stop with people disclosing that they’re the same part of a church, or members of other groups?’
The officer, who has been in his force for five years, said he joined the Freemasons ‘for the ceremony and the camaraderie’ and openly told his Inspector at the time.
He says he has ‘never hidden’ his membership but says that ‘nobody’ in the force ‘really cares’.
The policeman says that he has been on duty with other Freemason officers and that they may ‘have the odd conversation’ about it.
But he compared the chats to officers discussing when they might meet up to play pickle ball and denied any secretive or conspiratorial suggestions.
He said: ‘Anyone can find out what we do. There’s plenty of books and articles that outline every single thing that happens.
‘Mainly it’s a lot of charity work and a group of men or women sat having conversations and having a meal.’
The officer admitted the existence of the infamous Freemason handshake.
He said: ‘There is a handshake. It’s not secret because you can find it out at any time if you want to.
‘It is not something that is used on a daily basis. It all comes down to tradition.’
The Metropolitan Police have continued to defend their decision to force officers to declare membership of a lodge.
The force has said their decision was influenced by a survey of officers and staff which showed two thirds of respondents felt membership of affected perception of police impartiality and public trust.
Met Commander Simon Messinger said: ‘Successive leaders of the Met have considered for many years whether we need to amend our declarable association policy, particularly in relation to Freemasonry.
‘After such conclusive results from our consultation, we have decided now is the right time to address long-standing concerns and that public and staff confidence must take precedence over the secrecy of any membership organisation.
‘Our decision does not mean any member of staff cannot join the Freemasons or another similar organisation.
‘But we have acted on feedback that involvement in these types of organisations could call impartiality into question or give rise to conflict of loyalties.
‘Strengthening the trust both our own staff and London’s communities have in the Met is a core part of our New Met for London plan and ambitions.’
Responding to this report, the Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘We will robustly defend our decision to require officers and staff to declare if they are Freemasons.
‘Two thirds of officers and staff surveyed agree that the policy is needed. We think the majority of the public would also agree.
‘There have been calls going back a number of years for the role of Freemasonry in policing to be properly addressed, including as a recommendation in the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel.
‘We strongly believe that failing to act on these calls would further damage trust not only among the public but also other officers and staff.
‘Victims should be able to know that when they report allegations to us, the officers investigating have been transparent about any potential conflicts of interest.
‘Similarly, officers and staff should be able to know that when they report wrongdoing by colleagues it will be investigated on its merits with no opportunity for secret loyalties to play any part.
‘We must prioritise the maintenance of vital trust and confidence over any organisation’s desire to maintain secrecy.’
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