Tim Godwin had recently retired as Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service at the time of giving evidence. He joined Met in 1999 from Sussex Police, becoming Temporary Commissioner on two occasions and remaining in post until Bernard Hogan-Howe was appointed in 2011. Gave detailed testimony of meetings with politicians and the media and answered questions on the benefits and disadvantages of closer relations between the police and the media. He described some cooperation with media representatives but stated that he rarely accepted any form of hospitality and that every such event was recorded in his hospitality register.
A former journalist, Stearns was Head of Media at the Metropolitan Police at the time of the Inquiry. His evidence was volunteered rather than formally sought and he attempted to put in context the work of the press office which dealt with 200-300 journalistic calls a day from the media. Following major incidents, this number could rise to 1,000 or more calls, all requiring individual responses, he told the Inquiry.
