IPCC to investigate contact between Met officer and NI exec

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched a new investigation into allegations that a senior Metropolitan police (MPS) officer passed information to News International during the original 2006 inquiry into News of the World phone hacking.

The investigation comes after a referral by the MPS, which came across documents as part of Operation Elveden, the ongoing Met inquiry into alleged payments by journalists for information from the police and other public officials.

The IPCC confirmed today that it was looking at what contact was made between the Met officer and the News International executive, what information was provided and whether it was appropriate for the officer to have done so.

The commission stressed that "at this stage there is no evidence to suggest any inappropriate payment, of any sort, having been made to the senior MPS officer".

IPCC deputy chair Deborah Glass said in a release: "Ever since Operation Elveden was first referred to the IPCC in July 2011 I have personally overseen the investigation involving alleged corrupt payments to police officers.

"A number of specific matters have since been referred and I have reviewed each on a case by case basis with a view to using our powers and resources as effectively a possible.

"In this case, the allegation of an inappropriate disclosure of information from an MPS officer to an executive at News International raises important issues of public confidence in the MPS and I believe it is right that we independently investigate this to determine if there was any wrongdoing."

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