Met hacking probe ‘could take more than five years’

Scotland Yard has beefed up its team tackling phone hacking after a “significant increase” in the workload.

Officers working on the inquiry have been been boosted from 45 to 60 after a “significant increase in the workload”, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers has confirmed.

The announcement came after MPs warned that any delay in completing the investigation it would “seriously delay” the start of the public inquiry announced by David Cameron.

It is not known how long the investigation will take but a senior source in the Metropolitan Police force told Channel 4 News Home Affairs Correspondent Simon Israel that the new investigation into hacking “could take more than five years,” at its previous rate using 45 officers.

‘Deliberate attempts to obstruct’

The Home Affairs Select Committee has released its parliamentary report into hacking after questioning two of Britain’s most senior policemen, former Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson, and former Assistant Commissioner John Yates.

It concludes there was no “real will” on the part of the Metropolitan Police to overcome “deliberate” attempts by News International to obstruct the original phone hacking investigation in 2005/6.

The committee called for extra resources for Operation Weeting – the police investigation into phone hacking – so that new hacking victims can be informed more quickly.

It praised Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers’ decision to contact all potential victims, but said it was “alarmed” that only 170 out of 3870 had so far been informed.

Committee Chairman Keith Vaz said: “The new inquiry requires additional resources and if these are not forthcoming, it will take years to inform all the potential victims. The victims of hacking should have come first and I am shocked that this has not happened.”

The investigation so far:
- Ten people have been arrested in Operation Weeting and Operation Elveden, no charges have been brought against them so far.
- Police are investigating if 3870 people are potential victims of phone hacking
- 170 people have been informed by police that they are potential victims
- 500 people have contacted the police to find out if they are potential victims, of which 70 have been told they have been identified.

Andy Hayman

The committee went on to criticise the conduct of former Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman – who oversaw the original investigation – as unprofessional and inappropriate. The report says it is “deplorable” that he began working for News International two months after he left the Met.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron told the Commons the police inquiry would be overseen by a figure from outside the Met.

He said: “The responsibilities of the deputy commissioner – which the House will remember include general oversight of the vital investigations both into hacking and into the police, Operations Weeting and Elveden – will not be done by someone from inside the Met, but instead by Bernard Hogan-Howe, who will join temporarily from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.”

Read more: click here to view the full parliamentary report on phone hacking

Resources

Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick told Channel 4 News that Operation Weeting’s team – now made up of 60 offcers – was already a “significant commitment of resources.”

But he added that although the inquiry involves “one of the biggest ever major investigative teams,” it was up to Scotland Yard’s senior management to decide if they require more resources.

“It is a judgement call but the Met doesn’t seem too good at making those at the moment,” Mr Paddick said.

Earlier, former Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson told the Home Affairs committee that a “significant number” of the officers working on Weeting were dedicated to answering requests for information in damages claims being brought by alleged victims of hacking.

Sir Paul said: “Would I wish those very experienced detectives were actually investigating robberies? Of course I would, but nevertheless it’s our responsibility, we’ve got to carry it out and we’ve got to get it right.”

Meanwhile, a law firm barred from answering allegations that it failed to raise the alarm over evidence of police bribes at News International has tonight been authorised to talk to police and MPs.

Harbottle and Lewis has come under renewed pressure to clarify why it did not hand over files to the police while representing the newspaper group.

It followed claims by Lord Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions, that a police probe into payments to officers could have been launched as far back as 2007.

News Corporation released a statement which read: “News Corporation’s management and standards committee can confirm that News International has today authorised the law firm Harbottle & Lewis to answer questions from the Metropolitan Police Service and parliamentary select committees in respect of what they were asked to do.

“The MSC is authorised to co-operate fully with all relevant investigations and inquiries in the News of the World phone hacking case, police payments and all other related issues across News International, as well as conducting its own enquiries where appropriate.”