Police masons facing curbs
BY DAVID TAYLOR
HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR POLICE chiefs are locked in a stand-off with Home
Secretary Jack Straw over moves to force officers to come clean on membership
of the Freemasons. Mr Straw has warned that public confidence in the police
is being dented by the Masonic culture. After a failed bid to persuade
officers to voluntarily register membership last year, the Government is
ready to change the law so it becomes a disciplinary offence for police to
hide membership of the secret society. Police chiefs have until New Year's
Eve to comment. The document, seen by the Daily Express, makes clear that
arrangements will be made for all officers to declare membership unless at
least 95 per cent of staff declare voluntarily. But in an attempt to create a
voluntary register, only 32 of 43 forces issued questionnaires and barely one
in three staff responded. Of those who did, just over one per cent declared
membership, but the Home Office suspects the true figure is 10 times higher.
An MPs' investigation followed claims that freemasonry was a factor in events
surrounding the Birmingham pub bombings investigation and the Stalker probe
into shoot-to-kill policies in Northern Ireland. MPs noted "a great deal of
unjustified paranoia about freemasonry", but said it was vital public
servants disclosed membership of secret societies.
� Express Newspapers, 2000
http://www.lineone.net/express/
