Home Office-funded programme 'broke rules'

A television programme about police community support officers (PCSOs) funded by the Home Office broke broadcasting rules, the communications watchdog said today.

Ofcom said two series of Beat: Life on the Street, which were paid for by the taxpayer and screened on ITV, was "promotional".

The programmes, which cost £800,000, followed officers in Lancashire and Oxford.

Viewers complained the credits should have made it clear the programme was funded by the Government.

The regulator said the programme broke the rules on unacceptable sponsorship by portraying the officers and their work in a positive light.

Its ruling stated: "Ofcom judged that overall the series portrayed the PCSOs and the contribution they made to communities in a positive light.

"There were several elements in the programmes that contributed to this overall positive tone, including interviews with serving officers, who talked in detail about why they enjoyed their role.

The ruling also found that the relationship between the programme and the Home Office was "not made transparent to the audience".

The Liberal Democrats accused ministers of funding programmes that "amounted to propaganda".

Liberal Democrat culture media and sport spokesman Don Foster said: "It's an absolute disgrace that the Government thinks it can get away with funding TV programmes which essentially amount to propaganda.

"Ofcom's decision highlights the lack of transparency in the way that this programme was presented. In other words, the Government was trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

"What is even more disturbing is that this is not the first time this has happened. A fundamental review is needed into the whole issue of using public money to fund programmes. Editorial integrity must be upheld at all times."