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Police chiefs have warned that the criminal investigation into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal may face a delay of up to five years unless it receives millions of pounds in additional funding. Stephen Clayman, who leads the national police inquiry, emphasized that the current investigation team would need to nearly double in size to maintain its target of submitting prosecution files by late next year or early 2028.
Currently, 111 detectives are engaged in what Clayman describes as a “hugely complex” investigation, but an extra 99 officers are required to keep pace with the timeline. The Horizon IT system, which was introduced in 1999, wrongly generated accounting shortfalls in Post Office branches. As a result, sub-postmasters were unjustly held responsible, leading to over 900 prosecutions and prison sentences; some individuals even died while waiting for their cases to be resolved.
The investigation, known as Operation Olympos and launched in 2020, is a joint effort between the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Metropolitan Police Service, and multiple police forces across the UK. Although police forces are covering much of the cost themselves, the inquiry still depends heavily on Home Office grants. So far, £2.8 million has been provided by the Home Office, but this falls £16.5 million short of what is necessary for the current financial year to expand the detective team.
Clayman highlighted the immense workload detectives face, having reviewed eight million documents that require forensic examination to determine the extent of knowledge and involvement of suspects. To date, 13 out of 53 individuals under investigation have been interviewed under caution. Clayman acknowledged the high evidential standards needed to bring charges and recognized the challenge police forces face amid already stretched resources. Meanwhile, a government spokesperson assured that victims’ voices are important and that fair compensation and inquiry outcomes are being prioritized
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