BBC News | Post Office investigation could be delayed by five years, police warn
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The police chiefs warn that the national investigation into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal could be delayed by up to five years unless it receives millions of pounds in additional funding, as the team needed to double from 111 to 210 detectives to meet a deadline for filing prosecution files by late next year or early 2028. The Horizon system, in use since 1999, falsely recorded accounting shortfalls that led to more than 900 wrongful prosecutions of sub‑postmasters, many of whom suffered imprisonment, financial ruin, or even death while awaiting justice. Operation Olympos, launched in 2020 and now a joint effort of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Metropolitan Police Service, is funded mainly by individual forces with a Home Office grant of £2.8 million—far short of the £19.3 million required for the current year. investigators are handling around eight million documents, have interviewed seven new suspects this year (bringing the total to 13 of the 53 under investigation), and stress that robust evidence is essential before bringing charges. A government spokesperson acknowledges the injustice and says the authorities are considering further funding, while victims like sub‑postmaster Seema Misra criticize the disparity between resources spent on lawyers and the lack of support for those harmed.
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