Police to boost probe into payments by journalists

The Metropolitan police is to boost its investigation into corrupt payments to police by the media, Operation Elveden, following a recent raid of the Sun's offices in London.

Deputy assistant commissioner Sue Akers told the Leveson inquiry into press ethics today that the number of police and support staff working on the investigation would shortly grow from 40 to 61.

So far, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation – including three police officers. DAC Akers told today's hearing: "As far as we are concerned there is a very legitimate public interest in investigating this."

Detectives with Operation Elveden, which began in June last year, raided the Sun's offices last month. Four current and former members of staff at the Sun were arrested and bailed by officers during the same weekend.

The arrests were made "on suspicion of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office (contrary to common law) and conspiracy in relation to both these offences".

Asked about Operation Weeting, the Met probe into phone hacking, Akers confirmed that the Metropolitan police had identified 829 "likely" victims. Of these, 581 have been contacted, 231 cannot be identified or reached, and 17 have not been told "for operational reasons".

"We have contacted all those people who we are able to contact," Akers said.

Ninety police officers and support staff are working on the phone-hacking investigation, which began in January 2011. They are trawling through a database of 300 million emails – a search that Akers said was at a relatively advanced stage.

Seventeen people have been arrested in connected with Operation Weeting. Two have been freed with no further action and the others are on bail and due to return in March.

The Met is also working on a separate investigation, Operation Tuleta, into computer hacking and "data intrusion", which began last autumn.

Akers said the scope of the investigation had yet to be defined, but that it would probably involve about 20 officers.

Police are investigating 57 separate incidents of data intrusion dating back, in some cases, as far as the late 1980s.

Media lawyers have warned that the Met's presence on News International premises (the force has up to 20 officers based at Wapping) is "unprecedented" and raises concerns for press freedom.

Media lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC told the Guardian: "The law gives special protection against police seizure of journalistic material and media corporations should always claim it when press freedom is at stake.

"The problem when a newspaper company invites the police into its premises is that they can then seize any journalistic material they find, without the public interest protection of having to obtain a court order."

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