The London police vowed to robustly defend its decision requiring staff and police officers to declare their Freemasonry membership, according to a statement on Monday.

The Metropolitan Police (Met) statement came in response to the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) seeking an injunction blocking implementation of the new policy.

The lodge, representing the secretive group in England, Wales, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, has pushed back against plans, announced earlier this month, to make Freemasonry membership a "declarable" association.

The Freemasons filed papers in London last week claiming the policy amounts to "religious discrimination" against Freemasons who are also police officers, The Guardian reported.

On Dec. 17, the lodge said in a statement that the Met decision cast an "aura of mistrust" over the entire organization.

The group also said it was "extremely disappointed" that the police had reached this decision without a "fair consultation process, or any direct engagement with it."

However, the Met said that the majority of British people agree with the new policy, stressing that they must prioritize the maintenance of vital trust and confidence over any organization’s desire to maintain secrecy.

"Two thirds of officers and staff surveyed agree that this policy is needed. We think the majority of the public would also agree," said the Met in response to the lodge’s injunction.

The Met statement also cited a recommendation in a 2021 report saying police membership in the Freemasons had been "a source of recurring suspicion and mistrust."

"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," said the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel report.

The panel examined the force’s handling of the unsolved 1987 murder of private detective Daniel Morgan, a father of two who was killed with an axe in a London parking lot.

"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," added the statement. (AA)

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