Inquiry into Post Office Horizon scandal faces five-year delay without extra funding

Campaigners celebrate a victory at the court of appeal in 2021. The earliest prosecutions in the case date back to 1999 and the deadline for submitting files to prosecutors is early 2028. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

The police criminal inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT scandal faces a five-year delay unless it is handed millions in extra funding and nearly 100 more staff, according to the chief officer in charge.

The Metropolitan police commander Stephen Clayman said he needed to nearly double the number of investigators to 210 to meet a deadline of late next year or early 2028 for submitting files to prosecutors.