IPCC censure Surrey Police over Milly Dowler failings

Surrey Police failed to fully investigate phone hacking allegations surrounding the Milly Dowler case, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a damning report.

Officers working as part of Operation Weeting, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) investigation into phone hacking by journalists, discovered evidence that Miss Dowler’s phone may have been hacked in 2002 by a News of the World journalist, which subsequently led to public outrage and contributed to the closure of the newspaper.

Following the widespread reporting of the hacking of Miss Dowler’s phone in July 2011, Mark Rowley, then chief constable of Surrey Police, launched Operation Baronet to examine the disclosure of information to the force about the hacking in April 2002, why no further action was taken and who knew about the information.

Deborah Glass, IPCC deputy chair, said there was “no doubt” Surrey Police knew about the allegations in 2002 and that it had failed to investigate the serious claims. While the force was focusing on finding Miss Dowler during the missing persons search, rather than on reporting the breach, she said she was surprised “alarm bells do not appear to have rung” when more phone hacking details emerged, adding “the at times unhealthy relationship between the police and the media” may also have played a part.

“We consider that it is scarcely credible that no one connected to the Milly Dowler investigation recognised the relevance and importance of the knowledge that Surrey Police had in 2002 before this information was disclosed by Operation Weeting,” she said.

“We will never know what would have happened had Surrey Police carried out an investigation into the hacking of Milly Dowler’s phone in 2002. We know from evidence to subsequent inquiries that the law in this area was untested. But the alleged illegal act should have been acted upon, if not in 2002 then later, once the News of the World’s widespread use of phone hacking became a matter of public knowledge and concern.

“Surrey Police has apologised for their failure to the Dowler family – and they were right to do so.”

Specific charges against Surrey Police officers were not proven, despite strong criticisms of the force.

In June 2012, the IPCC received referrals regarding Craig Denholm, currently deputy chief constable of Surrey Police but recently appointed to the same position at Hampshire Constabulary, and Maria Woodall, a temporary detective superintendent, over their role relating to the Operation Ruby investigation into the Dowler case.

The IPCC found there was “insufficient evidence” to prove a case of gross misconduct against Mr Denholm, detective chief superintendent in charge of crime for the force at the time; there was no documentary proof he knew about the phone hacking before he claimed to become aware of it in 2011.

The IPCC report said: “Given the extent of knowledge within the investigation team, and Surrey Police as a whole, and the fact that this was referred to in documents which he is known to have received, the investigation found it hard to understand how he, the officer in charge, could not have been aware of the alleged hacking.

“But despite detailed examination of all extant documents and interviews with all relevant witnesses, the investigation was unable to find any witness or documentary evidence that contradicted Mr Denholm’s own repeated assertions to the IPCC that he did not know and had not made the relevant connections.”

It also said there was no case of misconduct to answer for T/Det Supt Goodall, having reviewed her junior rank at the time (detective sergeant) and her “frank” admissions over her knowledge of the phone hacking.

Surrey Police confirmed Mr Denholm and T/Det Supt Goodall had received words of advice.

Lynne Owens, chief constable of Surrey Police, said: “This was the largest and most high-profile murder investigation in the country at the time and remains the largest inquiry ever undertaken b