Post Office investigation could be delayed by five years, police warn

The transgression probe into the Post Office Horizon IT ungraded could beryllium delayed by 5 years unless it receives millions of pounds successful other funding, constabulary chiefs person warned.

The commandant starring the nationalist constabulary inquiry, Stephen Clayman, said the size of the probe squad would request to treble to conscionable its existent timeline of submitting files for imaginable prosecutions by precocious adjacent twelvemonth oregon aboriginal 2028.

He said 111 detectives were already moving connected a "hugely complex" probe but different 99 were needed.

A authorities spokesperson said the ungraded was "an appalling injustice" and that it was "considering requests for further funding".

Clayman said a hold would beryllium "unacceptable for those who person already been surviving with this for decades".

The Horizon IT system, which began operating successful 1999, falsely created accounting shortfalls successful Post Office branches for which sub-postmasters were held liable.

More than 900 radical were prosecuted and immoderate went to prison. Some died portion waiting for justice.

The transgression probe into the scandal, Operation Olympos, began successful 2020.

It's present a associated nationalist constabulary probe betwixt the National Police Chiefs' Council and the Metropolitan Police Service, with engagement from constabulary forces crossed the UK.

The bulk of the constabulary probe is being paid for by idiosyncratic forces, but it besides relies connected grants from the Home Office.

Clayman said £2.8m had been received from the Home Office, but this was £16.5m abbreviated of what was needed for this fiscal twelvemonth to boost the fig of detectives.

"It's precise worrying," said Seema Misra OBE, a sub-postmaster who was jailed erstwhile large successful 2010 aft wrongly being accused of stealing £74,000 from her subdivision successful Surrey.

"How tin the authorities walk hundreds of millions of pounds connected lawyers dragging this retired but it's antithetic for the communal radical to get justice? We request accountability," she told the BBC.

Clayman said 7 much suspects had been interviewed nether caution this year, taking the fig of radical who've present been questioned to 13 retired of a full of 53 individuals presently nether investigation.

He added detectives were dealing with immoderate 8 cardinal documents and growing, with galore of them needing to beryllium forensically reviewed.

"Only by doing this tin we portion unneurotic precisely what happened, found who knew what and recognize the relation suspects whitethorn person played," helium said.

"As we person ever said, the threshold to bring transgression charges is high, truthful we indispensable beryllium assured that the grounds we contiguous to the Crown Prosecution Service has the champion imaginable accidental of gathering this bar.

"We cannot underestimate the task successful hand. Through the galore conversations we've had with sub-postmasters implicit the people of our probe truthful far, we person been honorable astir those challenges and the standard of what lies ahead."

He said overcoming backing challenges comes astatine a clip erstwhile constabulary forces were already "severely stretched".

A authorities spokesperson said: "It is important that victims' voices are heard and that the causes identified done the nationalist inquiry, and afloat and just redress is paid retired rapidly to those who suffered."