We are deeply sorry for the suffering caused to so many people by Post Office’s past actions and acknowledge that victims of the scandal need answers, as well as justice and redress.
The Inquiry’s vital work is continuing and therefore we do not yet have a full picture of how and why the scandal was allowed to happen. It involves complex events that took place over two decades including periods of substantial change and separation of Post Office from Royal Mail Group.
But we will continue to learn from past mistakes and are committed to continuing to transform today’s Post Office, rebuild trust, and move forward for our current postmasters and the 10 million customers who rely on us each week.
To support the Inquiry in establishing the truth about the past, we have collated more than 176 million documents from extensive Post Office sources, including 230 physical locations and third-party sites and across multiple systems. This work has led to almost half a million documents being disclosed to meet the Inquiry’s requirements as of December 2024.
The Judgments from Mr Justice Fraser in the Bates & Others v Post Office civil litigation in 2019 (Horizon Issues Judgment and Common Issues Judgment) starkly articulated serious flaws in previous Horizon systems and a Post Office culture of secrecy. The business failed to put postmasters first, did not listen to postmasters, and did not act on concerns postmasters raised with us.
Through the Inquiry’s work, the scale of Post Office’s past failings and the devastating consequences are even clearer. We are doing all we can to help get victims answers, including fully co-operating with Police investigations to help try and put things right, as far as that can ever be possible.