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January 5, 2015updated 06 Jan 2015 2:11pm

Met Police has spent £33.5m investigating journalists, figures show

By William Turvill

The Metropolitan Police has spent £33.5m on investigations into journalism, figures obtained by Press Gazette show.

Excluding legal fees, Operation Weeting has cost £19.2m, Elveden £11.3m and Tuleta £3m. These figures are correct to 30 September 2014.

The last full set of figures, obtained by Press Gazette in April 2013, showed that £19.5m had been spent on these operations.

According to a Freedom of Information Act answer, which was returned on 17 December, the operations – which have involved 125 Met Police staff – have seen 99 journalists suspected of wrongdoing.

Some 63 journalists have been arrested and 43 have been charged or summonsed. According to the Met Police numbers, 16 journalists are awaiting a charging decision.

Seven have been convicted of offences, six have been acquitted and three journalists face retrials.

The figures show that 38 journalists have been cautioned and 40 have been told they face no further action by the police or Crown Prosecution Service.

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It has been established that 67 public officials have been investigated by police under this investigation.

The Met Police said in an FoI disclosure that 51 staff had worked on Weeting, 56.33 on Elveden and 16.66 on Tuleta.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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