Dowler hacking inquiry: Full police statement
Surrey Police statement after an investigation found former officers failed to act on the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler's phone.
Police did not act for Milly
Senior police officers failed to act on evidence of the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler's phone during their investigation, the IPCC.
Letter to police that could have stopped Savile in 1998
A letter received by Scotland Yard in 1998 claiming the DJ was a paedophile was classed as "sensitive", hiding it from other investigators.
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Dowler hacking inquiry: Full police statement
Surrey Police statement after an investigation found former officers failed to act on the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler's phone.
Read the full storyPolice did not act for Milly
Senior police officers failed to act on evidence of the alleged hacking of Milly Dowler's phone during their investigation, the IPCC.
Read the full storyAdvertisement
Surrey Police 'should have investigated Dowler hacking'
After the IPCC concluded there was no case to answer for misconduct, Surrey Police say they have taken the following actions over the two officers being investigated:
- In respect to the actions of Craig Denholm in 2002, the Chief Constable has taken management action and issued words of advice in relation to not assessing some of the material sent to him referring to phone-hacking.
- In respect to the actions of Maria Woodall in 2007, the Chief Constable has taken management action and given words of advice in relation to not making the connection between the convictions for phone-hacking in 2007 and the events of 2002.
Surrey Police acknowledged in 2011 that the hacking of Milly Dowler's voicemails should have been investigated and both the former Chief Constable and I have met with and apologised to the Dowler family for the distress this has caused.
– Chief Constable Lynne OwensThis was the largest and most high-profile murder investigation in the country at the time and remains the largest enquiry ever undertaken by Surrey Police. It was right that Milly was the primary focus of the investigation but the matter of phone-hacking should have been revisited at a later stage.
'No doubt' police knew of NOTW hacking
In the report the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said:
"There is no doubt, from our investigation and the evidence gathered by Operation Baronet, that Surrey Police knew in 2002 of the allegation that Milly Dowler’s phone had been hacked by the News of the World (NOTW).
"It is apparent from the evidence that there was knowledge of this at all levels within the investigation team.
"There is equally no doubt that Surrey Police did nothing to investigate it; nobody was arrested or charged in relation to the alleged interception of those messages either in 2002 or subsequently, until the Operation Weeting arrests in 2011."
Warnings for officers after Milly hacking inquiry
Two police officers have been given "words of advice" after an Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigation in to their actions when the News of the World hacked Milly Dowler's mobile phone messages in 2002.
Surrey Police Deputy Chief Constable Craig Denholm and Detective Superintendent Maria Woodall will be given verbal and written warnings.
The pair were referred to the IPCC in November 2012, over accusations that Deputy Chief Constable Denholm knew Milly's phone was being accessed by the News of the World and that Detective Superintendent Woodall over information she provided Surrey Police during an internal investigation.
Motorists' excuses revealed
Surrey Police and Surrey County Council have released details of the excuses given by drivers as part of a campaign targeting the use of mobile phones while behind the wheel.
In one case, the driver stopped by police pleaded for help, saying: "It was my ex-wife harassing me, can you speak to her?"
Another motorist blamed work pressures when he said: "My boss called to see where I was."
A father-to-be explained: "I answered the phone because my wife is having a baby and I thought she may have gone into labour."
The lure of a smart phone proved too tempting for one motorist, who said: "I'm not on the phone, I am looking something up on the internet".
While another pleaded: "I wasn't calling anyone, I was replying to an email."
Another driver admitted: "I am always using it. It's about time I got caught."
Another driver said: "I was just telling them I couldn't answer as I was driving," while another claimed: "This is the first time I have used it."
And a man stopped for running a red light said: "Sorry, I didn't even see the red light, I was on my phone at the time."
Kay Hammond, Surrey County Council's cabinet member for community safety, said: "It may be tempting to answer a call or check your Facebook while driving, but it is a huge distraction and the consequences can be devastating.
"You are four times more likely to crash if you use a mobile phone while driving. Your reaction times are 50% slower and you are more likely to drift across lanes. If you get caught, you face three penalty points on your licence and a £60 fine."
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