The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal could be delayed by five years unless it receives millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more investigators, the Metropolitan Police commander in charge has warned.
Commander Stephen Clayman said the investigation, codenamed Operation Olympos, needs to nearly double its team from 111 to 210 officers to meet a deadline of late 2027 or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors. The projected budget is up to £19.3m, but only £2.8m has been provided by the Home Office, leaving a £16.5m shortfall.
More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 due to faulty Horizon accounting software from Fujitsu, which made it appear they had committed fraud. The scandal has been described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British history and was dramatised in the ITV series Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
Clayman said detectives already hold 8m documents, a number set to grow, and that the investigation is “hugely complex”. He added: “Without this [extra funding], we risk our timelines being pushed back by as much as five years, which we know is unacceptable for those who have already been living with this for decades.”
Police have interviewed seven more suspects under caution this year, bringing the total to 13 out of 53 under investigation. Officers have submitted several files for early investigative advice from prosecutors. The inquiry is awaiting the full publication of Sir Wyn Williams’s public inquiry before moving to charges.
Clayman said the priority was to “deliver justice” for victims and families. Across all redress schemes, more than 11,500 claimants have been paid a total of £1.48bn so far.
