Leaks risk prompted police secrecy

Police files on celebrities and politicians accused of sex assault were so heavily protected that officers investigating claims could not access them, it has been reported.

Information on high profile suspects was marked as “secret” or ‘restricted’ and only available to a small number of officers – a system which may have helped prolific offenders such as Jimmy Savile escape prosecution, one national newspaper has claimed.

This approach to sensitive files was introduced to stop officers from leaking information to the media.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The issue of detectives being unable to access relevant intelligence was revealed in a recent report about the effectiveness of the Police National Database (PND) in the wake of the Savile scandal.

The review came after complaints about Savile made to different police forces across the country while the TV presenter was still alive could not be shared by detectives.

Metropolitan Police Commander Peter Spindler confirmed that famous people were protected by high levels of confidentiality built into intelligence systems.

He said: “We have had some officers and staff who were prepared to leak information to the media for payment and the mechanism to prevent that was to restrict access to that information.”

However officers believe the new PND, which became operational in 2011, should help prevent similar errors in the future.