Sue Akers appearing before the home affairs committee
Credit: PAThe team behind the police investigation into phone hacking has been increased from 45 to 60 officers and members of staff.
In a statement, Sue Akers, who is overseeing the investigation known as Operation Weeting, said there has been a "significant increase" in the workload following a surge of enquiries and requests for assistance from the public and solicitors.
"As a result I have decided to draft further officers and staff into the enquiry and will now take the team from 45 to 60 officers and staff," she confirmed.
"I have said all along that I would keep the resources under review and this has led to the increase. Similarly, if the demand decreases, I will release officers back to other duties."
In a report yesterday (20 July), the home affairs committee called for more resources to be dedicated to the investigation, after Akers said in evidence that, so far, just 170 out of more than 12,000 potential victims had been contacted.
"We note with some alarm the fact that only 170 people have as yet been informed that they may have been victims of hacking," the report says.
"If one adds together those identified by name, the number of landlines and the number of mobile phone numbers identified (and we accept that there may be some overlap in these), that means up to 12,800 people may have been affected all of whom will have to be notified.
"We accept that there are a number of reasons why progress may have been slow so far, but at this rate it would be at least a decade before everyone was informed."
Given the financial issues the committee even suggested the government should consider making extra funds available for the investigation, "not least because any delay in completing it will seriously delay the start of the public inquiry announced by the prime minister".
According to the BBC, the investigation has also asked for files from Operation Motorman, an investigation into the use of private investigators carried out by the Information Commissioner's Office in 2003, to be handed over.
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