Police Digital Service (PDS) confirmed on 3 July 2024 that two employees had been arrested on suspicion of fraud, bribery and misconduct in public office. City of London Police investigated the allegations; the suspects were reported interviewed and bailed. An arrest on suspicion is not a charge or proof of guilt, and the material available through 8 October 2026 does not establish the investigation’s outcome.
What happened in July 2024?
On 3 July 2024, PDS said that two of its employees had been arrested on suspicion of fraud, bribery and misconduct in public office. The company said the employees had been suspended pending the police investigation. The offences were allegations, not findings of guilt.
Contemporaneous reporting identified City of London Police as the force leading the criminal investigation, called Operation Albaston. Reports said the two suspects had been interviewed and bailed pending further investigation. The allegations had been passed to police after information was received by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). Computer Weekly reported the police investigation and arrests on 3 July 2024; The Guardian covered the case on 4 July 2024.
What were the employees accused of, and have they been named?
The offences publicly specified were suspicion of fraud, bribery and misconduct in public office. PDS’s statement and the contemporaneous coverage reviewed did not name the employees or set out the specific acts alleged. No more detailed account of their suspected conduct is established by those sources.
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Because the matter was reported as an investigation into allegations, it would be inaccurate to describe the employees as guilty or to treat the suspicions as proven. The available accounts also do not establish whether they were later charged.
What did PDS do in response?
PDS said the two employees were suspended while the police investigation proceeded. It also said an independent HR consultancy would conduct an employee misconduct review and that PDS itself would undergo a broader review. The company stated, “The company’s work continues unaffected.”
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PDS coordinates, develops, delivers and manages digital services and solutions for UK policing, according to its current website. That organizational role is context; it does not establish anything about the alleged conduct or the police case.
Did the case lead to leadership changes?
Computer Weekly reported that Ian Bell’s directorship at PDS ended on 11 July 2024, with the Companies House change recorded on 16 July. The filing, as described in the report, gave no reason for the change. Its timing does not establish a connection to the arrests, and the reporting does not say Bell was implicated in the alleged offences. Computer Weekly’s report describes the directorship change.
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A later Computer Weekly report on 27 August 2025 described a PDS leadership restructuring and said City of London Police had confirmed the investigation was still ongoing at that time. Those developments do not, by themselves, reveal the investigation’s outcome. The report covers the restructuring and the then-current police update.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is the latest known status of the investigation?
The latest status identified in the cited reporting is the police confirmation reported on 27 August 2025 that the investigation was ongoing then. No later official case-status update was located through 8 October 2026. That absence of a later update does not show that the investigation remains open, was dropped, or resulted in charges or another outcome.
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Accordingly, the outcome is not established here. The available material does not establish whether either employee was charged, prosecuted, convicted, acquitted or cleared. A reliable update would require a later statement from police or an official court record.
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Key dates
- 3 July 2024: PDS confirmed two employee arrests, suspensions and planned reviews; contemporaneous coverage reported the City of London Police investigation.
- 3–4 July 2024: Reports said the suspects had been interviewed and bailed pending further investigation and identified the operation as Operation Albaston.
- 11 July 2024: Ian Bell’s PDS directorship reportedly ended; the Companies House change was recorded on 16 July, with no reason stated in the filing as described by Computer Weekly.
- 27 August 2025: Computer Weekly reported that police had confirmed the investigation was ongoing at that time.
- 8 October 2026: The outcome remained unestablished in the available official-status reporting described above.
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