3 days ago
Undercover police inquiry set to be most expensive in history
The public inquiry into undercover policing is on course to become the most expensive in British legal history.
Official figures obtained by The Telegraph have established that the cost of the decade-old inquiry could exceed £200 million.
The figure would overtake the cost of the Bloody Sunday inquiry, which reached £191 million and would be more than five times the amount spent on the inquiry into the Manchester Arena terror attack.
One policing chief described the time taken and spiralling costs as a 'national embarrassment'.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary and a former policing minister, said the costs were 'out of control' and called for the inquiry to be rapidly wound up.
One political source added: 'It has turned into a gravy train for lawyers.'
The inquiry, which began on July 17 2015, has cost £102 million to date, while a further £68.6 million has been spent on dozens of experienced detectives, uniformed constables and staff.
The 74 police officers and staff, which include a detective superintendent, detective chief inspectors, inspectors sergeants and constables, have been diverted to investigate the activities of undercover officers as far back as 1968, figures obtained under freedom of information laws reveal.
The £68 million total police bill is the equivalent to employing 1,000 constables or policing a town the size of Bournemouth 24/7, according to this newspaper's analysis.
With at least another two years to run, The Telegraph understands that the Home Office anticipates the costs of the inquiry are likely to hit between £130 million and £150 million on top of the £68.6 million for police investigators.
The revelations come ahead of Rachel Reeves's spending review on Wednesday.
Police chiefs have warned it could force them to deprioritise the investigation of other crimes if she fails to plug a £1.3 billion hole in their budgets.
The inquiry was launched by Theresa May, the then home secretary, after a series of 'spy cop' scandals where undercover officers slept with women without disclosing their true identities, failed to reveal their roles in court cases and were involved in criminal acts.
Martyn Underhill, a former Met detective and Dorset's first police and crime commissioner, said he had backed the need for an inquiry into activities that were a 'stain on policing', but he added: 'The time taken, and the spiralling costs, are now becoming a national embarrassment, akin to the Bloody Sunday inquiry.
'What is clear here is that the remit of the inquiry is too broad, and should have been limited to undercover cops establishing relationships on and off duty with targets, not a remit of all undercover policing.
'By the time the inquiry has reported to the Government, many of its findings will be out of date. This issue is now completely out of control, and UK Policing PLC has to carry some of that blame.'
Mr Philp said: 'This public inquiry is totally out of control. It should not be taking more than 10 years and cost over £200 million. It is a total waste of money.
'It is also dragging police officers who served over 50 years ago through a legal process. It should be brought to a very rapid conclusion before any more time and money is wasted.'
Endless legal tactics
It is believed the Home Office originally envisaged the inquiry would last three years.
It has had two judicial chairmen, Sir Christopher Pitchford, who stepped down as a result of ill health, followed by Sir John Mitting.
Last week, Sir John announced that he will be stepping down next year after the publication of the second interim report. It is likely to cause further delays beyond the projected 2027 end date as a successor will have to be found.
It is understood that ministers in the last government were told by the inquiry it could last until 2032, five years longer than the 12 years that it took the Bloody Sunday inquiry to complete its work.
There are 249 core participants, all entitled to have reasonable legal costs paid.
The issue of protecting the identities of undercover operatives has caused long delays and legal issues. The inquiry has released the cover names of 70 undercover officers from the Metropolitan Police's undercover unit the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS).
The £170.6 million cost of the inquiry to date has put it on a par with the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, which cost £173.2 million.
It is more than five times the Manchester Arena inquiry (£35.6 million), and 13 times the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war (£13.1 million). The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) cost £192.7 million.
Those involved with campaigners targeted by undercover operatives said police must shoulder some of the blame for the lengthy delays and costs.
They tried to 'keep things out of the public domain' for up to five years, said one, through 'endless' legal tactics and applications to the court to prevent officers being identified.
Another insider questioned the decision to set up a public inquiry in the first place, pointing out that changes to police undercover practices were already underway and said the terms of reference and period of investigation for the inquiry had been set too wide.
