Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the cost to the public purse was of Operation Conifer; and what lessons have been learnt as a result of that operation.

Mr Nick Hurd, Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service, Minister for London: The Home Office does not hold information on the total cost of Operation Conifer, as this is an operational matter for Wiltshire Police. However, in December 2017 the department provided £1.1 million of Special Grant funding towards the overall cost of the operation.

Lessons were learnt from the various forms of scrutiny the operation was subject to, including an Independent Scrutiny Panel, two reviews by Operation Hydrant and a review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (as it was then). The findings of the operation were then published in the Summary Closure Report, which can be found at: https://www.wiltshire.police.uk/media/582/Op-Conifer-Summary-Closure-Report/pdf/Op_Conifer_Summary_Closure_Report.pdf

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