Absolute Beginners

Bernard Hogan-Howe (left) has only been Met Chief for a few days and already he's put his foot in it.

His agreement to prosecute the Guardian journalists under the Official Secrets Act shows an extra-ordinary level of thick headedness. Nick Davies may be in the dock the same day as he picks up the Journalist of the Year award - and for the same reasons.

BHH announced himself in various newspaper interviews and before the Police Authority as a no nonsense, straight-talking zero tolerance kind of guy. That may appeal to the politicians at a gut level but we have learnt in recent years policing also requires more diplomatic qualities with a little more political vision.

The prosecution under OSA is doomed to fail and in the lead up to the expensive collapse of the case the Met will gather up plenty of bad press. The case rests on frustration at the top of the plodshop about leaks from the Operation Wheeting team to Guardian particularly on the Milly Dowler case. Met lawyers have decreed these leaks were "not in the public interest" when I can think of few leaks which were more so. They have certainly overcooked the seriousness of the leaks by calling them "gratuitous". Essentially they are saying the whole Milly Dowler story which caused this media earthquake was in fact illegal and should not have happened.

The relevant provisions they are deploying (sections 4 and 5) were designed to prevent malicious and even treasonous leaking of material which would necessarily be "damaging". If the Met were to be successful then unauthorised chats to journalists would cease and the police would be impervious. If Bernard thinks this is a desirable society for Britain then he can think again.

The Met should have simply sought out the 'leaker' through a disciplinary inquiry. Bernard's attempts at justifying this vindictive prosecution will turn to ashes in his mouth.