STATEMENT FROM THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
Police Regulations permit officers to have business interests providing that it is compatible with being a
member of the police service.
Members of the MPS cannot carry out their business interests on police premises, or during working
hours, nor may they use MPS equipment to further their business interests. Officers are not allowed to
use their position as police officers to promote their businesses.
Any application to register a business interest is assessed on an individual basis and a final decision
on compatibility lies with the relevant Assistant Commissioner. However, this process is in no way a
health check or endorsement of the business itself and should not be used to suggest or imply
anything of the sort.
The process is focused on ensuring the stated nature of the business is compatible with being a police
officer and that it does not adversely impact on the officers ability to perform in their role as a police
officer.
It remains the responsibility of the officer, should they wish to continue their business interest, to
ensure that it is reviewed by their line management annually and to inform them at any stage should
the business interest change significantly. However, recent changes to our processes mean that
business interests, once registered, are automatically reviewed by line management as part of the
annual appraisal process.
PC Page's business interest was approved on the condition that it should be annually reviewed. It
appears these reviews were not undertaken.
Whilst this is clearly a matter of regret, neither the initial approval of a business interest, nor any
subsequent reviews, are designed to examine how a business is being run in detail. They are not
investigations into the propriety of either the business or the officer and rely on officers providing
accurate and honest information regarding their businesses, supported by the fact that a failure to do
so could be an act of misconduct.
It does not follow, therefore, that either the initial approval of Page's business interest, or any reviews,
could have been expected to identify or prevent his criminality at an earlier stage.