Operation Midland cost £2.5m, says Met Police

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that one of its high-profile child sexual abuse investigations, Operation Midland, cost £2.5m in total.

It includes staffing costs and overtime expenditure, Scotland Yard said.

The figure comes after the Met said it would be unable to calculate the cost.

The inquiry investigated historical claims of sex abuse and murder made against establishment figures. It closed in March without any charges being brought.

Among those accused were former armed forces chief Lord Bramall and former Conservative MP Harvey Proctor.

Both men denied the allegations and neither faced any action.

They have criticised the way police handled the case and Mr Proctor said the inquiry had "irreparably ruined [his] life". No files concerning him or Lord Bramall were ever sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

A statement from Scotland Yard said: "The Metropolitan Police Service issued costs for Operation Midland periodically through the duration of the inquiry.

"Now that the investigation has concluded the total cost of the inquiry was approximately £2.5m based on staffing costs and overtime expenditure."

In response to a Freedom of Information request from the BBC, the Met Police had previously said it did not hold the relevant information.

It said that as staff did not record details of their duties, there would "be no record of the time" that officers spent on the operation.

Twenty-seven detectives and six civilian staff worked on the operation.

Retired judge Sir Richard Henriques is conducting a review of Operation Midland, on behalf of Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, which is expected to conclude in the autumn.

What was Operation Midland?

Established in November 2014, Operation Midland was set up to examine historical claims of a Westminster VIP paedophile ring, with allegations boys were abused by a group of powerful men from politics, the military and law enforcement agencies.

The inquiry was also intended to examine claims that three boys were murdered during the alleged ring's activities. Operation Midland related to locations across southern England and in London in the 1970s and 1980s, and focused on the private Dolphin Square estate in Pimlico, south-west London.

Historical child abuse: Key investigations