Police chiefs should be able to share trial information to quell 'social media rumour', admits Sir Mark Rowley
24 January 2025, 10:27
Police chiefs should be able to share more information about trials to stop “social media rumour” from running wild, Britain’s top cop has told LBC.
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Met Chief, Sir Mark Rowley, told Nick Ferrari that he would look again at contempt laws, and admitted it was “frustrating” not to be able to reveal as much as possible about live cases for risk of prejudicing them.
The Prime Minister said earlier this week it wasn’t possible to talk about the case being treated as terror-linked, or for police to reveal more details about the Southport attacker’s religion last summer, because of these fears.
But politicians have attacked the government – saying the lack of clear facts around the case could have contributed to last summer’s unrest.
Sir Mark told Nick that he did back looking again at the laws around contempt in a bid to be more open around what police can tell the public.
He admitted that the case at the moment “is frustrating, but it’s the law”.
He refused to criticise the Crown Prosecution Service, who Liverpool police have said stopped them from revealing more details to the media, over the Southport attack.
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley | 24/01/25
Misinformation and rumours swirled on social media about the attacker’s background and religion, but police would not clarify whether they were true at the time.
Sir Mark said this morning: “If the CPS had said loads more, there was a risk it could undermine the trial.
“The PM’s talked about a review.
“In today’s social media age, it’s good that people are looking at it…
“I do share Serena Kennedy’s sentiment."
Read more: Southport attack was ‘not an act of terrorism,’ Met chief Sir Mark Rowley tells LBC
“It would be great if we could have changes which means more information can be shared earlier – today’s social media world creates rumour. We do need changes.”
He also suggested that the government would be looking again at whether to clamp down on social media yet again.
The Southport attacker was able to look up information about the London bridge attacks, discover manuals on how to create deadly resin, and other hate material, online.
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LBC handed Sir Mark a dossier of some of the hate that reporters had been able to locate online.
He said that because much of it “won’t be illegal” it would be harder to force social media companies to scrub it from the internet.
But he admitted: “Material that is out there is deeply disturbing”.
Boys are being fed a “diet of school shootings” and violence online, which needed to be looked at again.
He said: “The online safety act didn’t go as far as the last government originally proposed.
I imagine that will be looked at in the not-too-distant future.”
London’s Met Chief also used the interview to reveal that stop and search in the capital had halved over time.
He said this was a result of officers losing confidence in the ability to use it.
His own forces were also facing the pressure of budget cuts, with “tough decisions” on the way about which services might face the axe.
He suggested that police dogs may be at risk, thanks to tighter than expected budgets.
The Mayor of London has said he’ll put up council tax again next year to help boost cash for forces in the capital.
