THE three police officers accused of giving misleading accounts of a meeting with former chief whip Andrew Mitchell as the "plebgate" scandal erupted should apologise for their actions, the head of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has said.

Sir Hugh Orde called on Police Federation representatives Inspector Ken MacKaill, Detective Sergeant Stuart Hinton and Sergeant Chris Jones to apologise in the same way as the chief constables representing their forces - Warwickshire, West Mercia and the West Midlands.

The federation representatives have apologised only for being hasty in speaking to the media following the October 2012 ­meeting. The three told journalists that Mr Mitchell had refused to tell them exactly what he said during a foul-mouthed confrontation with officers in Downing Street the previous month. Sir Hugh called on the officers to apologise in the same way the chief constables of the forces they represent have.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I watched every moment of the select committee and it was not a good day for policing.

"The stark fact is the other three officers should have apologised in the same manner and style as the chief constables did.