UK police appeal for patience in hacking probe

By The Associated Press

The Associated Press

Thu, 07/07/2011 - 9:09am

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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British actor Hugh Grant, right, speaks with an unidentified 'Hacked Off' campaigner outside the Houses of Parliament in London, where a debate was being held into the allegations of phone hacking by journalists Wednesday July 6, 2011. Britain's voracious tabloids may have hit a new low: The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch's global media empire at News Corp, is facing claims that it hacked into a missing 13-year-old's phone messages, possibly hampering a police inquiry into her disappearance. "Newspapers were using phone hacking on a widespread and industrial basis ... (with) the apparent collusion of parts of the Metropolitan Police," actor Hugh Grant told BBC radio. (AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
British actor Hugh Grant outside the Houses of Parliament in London, where a debate was being held into the allegations of phone hacking by journalists Wednesday July 6, 2011. Britain's voracious tabloids may have hit a new low: The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch's global media empire at News Corp, is facing claims that it hacked into a missing 13-year-old's phone messages, possibly hampering a police inquiry into her disappearance. "Newspapers were using phone hacking on a widespread and industrial basis ... (with) the apparent collusion of parts of the Metropolitan Police," actor Hugh Grant told BBC radio. (AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
In this image made from television, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks in the House of Commons in London, as Defence Secretary Liam Fox, right, looks on, Wednesday July 6, 2011. Cameron called for a further inquiry into the phone hacking scandal engulfing the tabloid News of the World, saying an independent inquiry needs to look at why an original police investigation did not get to bottom of what happened when the scandal first emerged several years ago. The demand came as British police revealed they would investigate allegations that officers received payments from the tabloid newspaper, thanks to new documents given police by the tabloid's parent company, News International. (AP Photo/PA, file)
A News of the World sign is seen by an entrance to a News International building in London, Wednesday, July 6, 2011. Britain's tabloid phone hacking scandal dominated the airways Wednesday as it swelled to allegedly involve more missing schoolgirls and the families of London terror victims. News International, the British linchpin of Rupert Murdoch's global News Corp. media empire, was under intense pressure due to its News of the World tabloid, which has admitted hacking into the phones of celebrities but now stands accused of possibly interfering with police investigations into missing girls who were found murdered. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2009 file photo, Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, which publishes the News of the World tabloid, arrives at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England. Britain's long-running phone hacking scandal took a twist Tuesday, July 5, 2011, with claims that a the News of the World hacked into the phone mail of an abducted teenage girl and may have hampered the police investigation into her disappearance. Brooks said in an email to her staff that the "strongest possible" actions would be taken if the charges were found to be true. Brooks said in the email that she had no knowledge of the alleged hacking and that she would not resign. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)
British actor Hugh Grant, right, speaks with an unidentified 'Hacked Off' campaigner outside the Houses of Parliament in London, where a debate was being held into the allegations of phone hacking by journalists Wednesday July 6, 2011. Britain's voracious tabloids may have hit a new low: The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch's global media empire at News Corp, is facing claims that it hacked into a missing 13-year-old's phone messages, possibly hampering a police inquiry into her disappearance. "Newspapers were using phone hacking on a widespread and industrial basis ... (with) the apparent collusion of parts of the Metropolitan Police," actor Hugh Grant told BBC radio. (AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
British actor Hugh Grant outside the Houses of Parliament in London, where a debate was being held into the allegations of phone hacking by journalists Wednesday July 6, 2011. Britain's voracious tabloids may have hit a new low: The News of the World, part of Rupert Murdoch's global media empire at News Corp, is facing claims that it hacked into a missing 13-year-old's phone messages, possibly hampering a police inquiry into her disappearance. "Newspapers were using phone hacking on a widespread and industrial basis ... (with) the apparent collusion of parts of the Metropolitan Police," actor Hugh Grant told BBC radio. (AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
In this image made from television, Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron speaks in the House of Commons in London, as Defence Secretary Liam Fox, right, looks on, Wednesday July 6, 2011. Cameron called for a further inquiry into the phone hacking scandal engulfing the tabloid News of the World, saying an independent inquiry needs to look at why an original police investigation did not get to bottom of what happened when the scandal first emerged several years ago. The demand came as British police revealed they would investigate allegations that officers received payments from the tabloid newspaper, thanks to new documents given police by the tabloid's parent company, News International. (AP Photo/PA, file)
A News of the World sign is seen by an entrance to a News International building in London, Wednesday, July 6, 2011. Britain's tabloid phone hacking scandal dominated the airways Wednesday as it swelled to allegedly involve more missing schoolgirls and the families of London terror victims. News International, the British linchpin of Rupert Murdoch's global News Corp. media empire, was under intense pressure due to its News of the World tabloid, which has admitted hacking into the phones of celebrities but now stands accused of possibly interfering with police investigations into missing girls who were found murdered. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2009 file photo, Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News International, which publishes the News of the World tabloid, arrives at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England. Britain's long-running phone hacking scandal took a twist Tuesday, July 5, 2011, with claims that a the News of the World hacked into the phone mail of an abducted teenage girl and may have hampered the police investigation into her disappearance. Brooks said in an email to her staff that the "strongest possible" actions would be taken if the charges were found to be true. Brooks said in the email that she had no knowledge of the alleged hacking and that she would not resign. (AP Photo/Jon Super, File)

UK police appeal for patience in hacking probe

 

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LONDON (AP) -- The police officer in charge of Britain's burgeoning phone hacking probe has appealed to the public for patience as authorities contact thousands of potential victims.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers issued a statement Thursday saying police are sorting through 11,000 pages of material containing almost 4,000 names that could be linked to the News of the World scandal.

She says officers will contact everyone whose personal contact details were found in the documents seized in 2005.

The News of the World tabloid is accused of hacking into the cell phone messages of victims ranging from missing schoolgirls to grieving families, celebrities, royals and politicians in a quest for attention-grabbing headlines.

 

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