back to article Detective on phone-hacking probe team is arrested

A police officer working on Scotland Yard's investigation into alleged phone-hacking at the now-defunct Sunday tabloid the News of the World was arrested by cops from the anti-corruption unit of the Metropolitan police late last week. The Met said that on Thursday 18 August they cuffed "a serving MPS officer from Operation …

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  1. 404
    Happy

    Kelly....

    ... you giggled as you wrote that sub-headline, didn't you?

    "happy monday to me, happy monday to me...."

    ;)

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I heard...

    The Graun put out a statement about this, here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/19/phone-hacking-detective-arrested

    Here is (part of) what it says:

    "On the broader point raised by the arrest, journalists would no doubt be concerned if conversations between off-the-record sources and reporters came routinely to be regarded as criminal activity. In common with all news organisations we have no comment to make on the sources of our journalism."

    1. Chris Miller

      It's an irregular verb

      one of those much loved by the Grauniad:

      He bribes police.

      You hack phones.

      I have reputable sources that journalistic integrity forbids me from revealing.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      of course.

      Off-the record Conversations between criminal investigators and journalists about cases are *already* regarded as criminal activity. Its just that until now, no-one has bothered chasing them up.

    3. Alan Firminger

      ... no comment ...

      I take that as an admission. If the rumour were false they would say so.

      Is it going to be down to one rogue reporter ?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Alan

        I tend to agree, but I'm conflicted:

        Is it ok for a Policeman to talk - off the record, not for money - about any investigation. What if that investigation were a bodged investigation like the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation? Is it ok then? What if it's whistle blowing a cover-up?

        On the flip side - should every crime be investigated in secret? There are pretty good arguments either way - you wouldn't get "string 'em up" types outside courts, people who have been accused but not convicted wouldn't have their reputations/lives ruined.

        It's a tough feeling's kidney whichever way you slice it.

  3. Thomas 4

    Better solution

    Why don't we just arrest all the police, the hacks and the politicians and bung them in the slammer?

    Also, what's this stuff about phone hacking?

  4. zedee

    WTF is a 'proactive' operation?

    Surely "active" or "ongoing".

    Proactive is not a word. FFS.

    1. amanfromearth
      FAIL

      Well

      Look in the OED FFS.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: WTF is a 'proactive' operation?

      "proactive" could mean "lazy".

      In favour of activity. Holding the opinion that it would be good for something to be done. Meaning to get round to acting on something. Spending time, and possibly a little bit of effort (though not as much as is being avoided), procrastinating, by working towards the real activity in such a way as to delay it by all the time spent working towards it. Preparing work in an organised, methodical and professional way, in the interests of accountability, sustainability, equality, diversity, efficiency, etc, and applying this principle recursively so that the preparatory work is also properly prepared in turn before being commenced. Modern policing.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Names?

    So they name some of the people arrested (or at least information about the names leaks to the press), but they don't name the police officer arrested. One rule for them, one rule for us?

    Or is it because the source of the leaks to the press has been cut off.

  6. Graham Bartlett

    @zedee

    Suggest you find a dictionary. FFS.

    'proactive' = opposite of 'reactive'

    So instead of waiting for the information to come to you, you go digging. Given the way this works, a typical way to find a leak would be to monitor who has access to what information and check what leaks made it out. Or more subtly, to slightly doctor the documents that each team member gets, and if/when a leak happens, check whose version of the documents it was.

  7. Bernard M. Orwell
    Coat

    Proactivity

    Using the word proactive in sentence to illustrate...

    "The witch-hunts could be considered a proactive policy."

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