Organised criminals were able to infiltrate Scotland Yard "at will" by bribing corrupt officers, according to an explosive report leaked to The Independent. The Metropolitan Police file, written in 2002, found Britain's biggest force suffered "endemic corruption" at the time.

Operation Tiberius concluded that syndicates such as the notorious Adams family and the gang led by David Hunt had bribed scores of former and then-serving detectives to access confidential databases; obtain live intelligence on criminal investigations; provide specialist knowledge of surveillance, technical deployment and undercover techniques to help evade prosecution; and even take part in criminal acts such as mass drug importation and money laundering.

The strategic intelligence scoping exercise – "ratified by the most senior management" at Scotland Yard – found murder investigations had been infiltrated and sensitive intelligence regarding other organised crime investigations had been leaked, allowing the offenders to escape justice.

The author lamented the Met's inability to root out the problem. More worryingly, he also appeared to question Scotland Yard's commitment to tackle organised crime corruption in the ranks. "For whatever reason, the current approach is simply to wait for the corruption intelligence to surface and to then react to it," Tiberius concluded.

Later, it added: "These syndicates are organised and all working towards the common goals of making profit, laundering their money, evading prosecution and preventing the forfeiture of their assets. The achievement of these goals is focused and determined; the law enforcement investigation should follow this lead."

Tiberius identified 80 corrupt individuals with links to the police, including 42 then-serving officers and 19 former detectives.

It concluded: "Organised crime is currently able to infiltrate the MPS at will."

READ MORE: Exclusive: Scotland Yard’s rotten core: Police failed to address Met's ‘endemic corruption’