MORE than 80 detectives are set to be assigned to the investigation into the Post Office IT scandal, it was reported today. 

The police operation will be split across four regions, with resources on par with those for a murder or terrorism investigation, according to the Guardian.

The newspaper says that officers have requested £6.75 million from the government to fund the investigation.

However, the public inquiry is not expected to be concluded until late 2025 and any potential criminal charges may not be filed until 2026, with trials taking even longer. 

At least 20 potential suspects have so far been identified. 

Metropolitan Police Commander Stephen Clayman, who is overseeing the investigation, confirmed on Monday that the next phase will be a “national policing effort” co-ordinated by the Met.

He said: “We do not underestimate the seriousness of the task at hand and we are determined to carry out a full investigation with independence, precision and integrity.”

More than 700 subpostmasters were wrongfully convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software Horizon incorrectly showed that money was missing.

Hundreds faced jail and bankruptcy and five people committed suicide.

Last week, disgraced former Post Office boss Paula Vennells broke down in tears as she gave evidence at the inquiry. 

During the hearing, she claimed that she had been “too trusting” and sought to shift the blame onto five other executives.

The Communication Workers Union described her reaction as “crocodile tears.”

On social media, the union said that she had shed “no tears when postmasters were being jailed, no tears when postmasters had their whole communities turning against them.”