On 18 March 2026, the Press Justice Project will host Off the Record in London — a half-day conference examining the evolving relationship between police and the press at a time of significant legal and institutional change.

Tickets are just £99 and can be bought here.

Questions around privacy, open justice, operational transparency and media accountability have rarely been more live. Recent case law has reshaped expectations around pre-charge anonymity and reputational protection, while digital publication and social media have accelerated the speed at which information — and misinformation — circulates. Against this backdrop, police-press interactions continue to influence public confidence in both institutions.

Off the Record brings together legal practitioners, former senior policing figures and whistleblowers to consider these issues from three distinct but connected perspectives.

Panel 1 – The Legal Lens

This opening panel will examine how the legal framework governing police and media has evolved, particularly following the Leveson Inquiry and subsequent case law, including Sir Cliff Richard v BBC, ZXC v Bloomberg and related developments.

Chaired by Tamsin Allen, Senior Consultant at Bindmans and solicitor to core participant victims during the Leveson Inquiry.

She is joined by Sara Mansoori KC, a barrister at Matrix Chambers specialising in media, public and privacy law, and Sandra Paul, a Partner at Kingsley Napley with extensive experience representing individuals facing criminal investigation and reputational risk.

The panel will explore how privacy rights, public interest considerations and open justice principles operate in practice — and where inconsistencies or pressures remain.

Panel 2 – The Heat and The Headlines

This panel turns to the practical realities of police-press engagement during live operations and high-profile investigations.

Chaired by Jacqui Hames, former Metropolitan Police detective and broadcaster with longstanding involvement in media reform debates, the discussion will feature:

  • Jeff Hill, former Assistant Chief Constable with senior responsibility for organised crime and counterterrorism;
  • Simon Morgan, former Royal Protection Officer and security consultant with experience managing media scrutiny in sensitive operational contexts.

The focus will be on narrative formation, operational security, and the balance between transparency and control in a 24-hour news environment.

Panel 3 – Corruption, Cover-Ups & Courage

The final panel addresses accountability from within institutions.

Chaired by broadcaster Nana Akua, the discussion brings together:

  • Maggie Oliver, former Greater Manchester Police detective and founder of Action for Accountability, who resigned after exposing failures in the handling of child sexual exploitation investigations;
  • Dave McKelvey, former Detective Inspector who has spoken publicly about organised crime, Operation Tiberius and concerns around institutional corruption.

This session will examine the practical and personal implications of whistleblowing, the role of media scrutiny in exposing wrongdoing, and the structural barriers to criminal accountability within policing.

A Continuing Conversation

INFORRM has consistently provided space for rigorous analysis of privacy, media regulation and freedom of expression. The questions addressed at Off the Record — including naming before charge, police communications practices and the limits of institutional transparency — form part of that wider debate.

The event aims to provide a structured forum in which legal analysis, operational experience and accountability perspectives can be examined together rather than in isolation.

Further details are available via the Press Justice Project website.

Tickets are just £99 and can be bought here.