The commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has called the relationship between the press and police "distorted".Bernard Hogan-Howe told the Leveson Inquiry he had concerns over close social relationships between officers and journalists, and said the frequency of meetings described in evidence to the inquiry had been surprising.He said: "A drink, so what? For me it's the pattern. One drink, one coffee, one meal - I'm not sure if that's going to damage integrity but I think sustained contact can."He later added: "When alcohol comes in, there are less inhibitions. There is a reason why alcohol is an important factor... it's probably best avoided."He went on to tell the inquiry lunches following monthly Crime Reporters Association briefings no longer take place, and said he would rather "set the bar too high" when it came to regulating contact between the force and sections of the media.He added: "It's been a difficult line to draw, given we do to maintain professional relationship but neither do we want to be too close."Hogan-Howe said challenges from journalists were beneficial to the police and should be welcomed, but the recording of meetings should be encouraged to improve transparency. He said he broadly accepted the findings of the Filkin report and it "encouraged people to think in a different way about something that had become a problem".The commissioner was asked about leaks from the Police National Computer and Operation Motorman, an investigation into the procurement of private information by private investigator Steve Whittamore for journalists, saying the police had taken steps to investigate leaks.He told the inquiry: "It is hard to imagine that so many people in the police are leaking this information; they must be leaking it to someone; not sure what proportion of their leaks are related to domestic issues, or links to payment for some inappropriate intention."He went on to reveal 53,000 Met police have now been given permission to access the internet at work. Until recently, officers had to prove they had a justifiable business reason for accessing the web.The inquiry also heard from Justin Penrose, crime reporter at the Sunday Mirror, who described a "state of paralysis" between journalists and police officers. He said he almost "laughed out loud" at evidence given by former criminal investigator Dave Harrison, who yesterday told the inquiry the Sunday Mirror had used anti-surveillance techniques to elude police when picking up Tom Stephens, a suspect in the Ipswich murders case, to be interviewed.Stephens, who was later cleared, was interviewed by journalist Michael Duffy in 2006. Harrison claimed Stephens had been driven to a hotel. Penrose said he had been tracked down through the electoral role and interviewed in a car park, a point enforced by Trinity Mirror's lawyer, Desmond Browne QC.Penrose told the inquiry he had given former assistant commissioner John Yates his mobile number, and had met him and Andy Hayman for lunch on two occasions. He also referred to a recorded lunch with the Met's head of press, Dick Fedorcio.Daily Mirror reporter Tom Pettifor said informal contact with police officers had become "difficult" and said he feared forcing officers to record all contact with journalists would "freeze up information flow more than it already is at the moment".He said: "If the official information parameter broadens so much that we have all this information out there, then it will very much reduce the need for these unofficial channels of communication."