The team investigating the background of a murderer who lived in Brighton and Hove is to be reduced in size.
The decision follows extensive efforts to establish whether the killer Peter Tobin took the lives of any more victims.
In a statement Sussex Police said: “The incident room for the national police scoping exercise Operation Anagram will be moving into a new stage in the coming weeks.
“The work of Operation Anagram, which is being co-ordinated by ACC Robin Merrett of Sussex Police, was initially launched by Strathclyde Police following the conviction of Peter Tobin for the murder of Angelika Kluk in Glasgow in 2006.
“The operation set out to identify if there were other offences relating to Tobin that would require further police action.
“All police forces were asked to conduct background inquiries to identify any potential victims.
“This has included examining outstanding missing persons, serious sexual offences and cross referencing them with the known movements of Peter Tobin.
“This work subsequently resulted in the discovery of two more murder victims at a house in Margate – Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol – for which Tobin was also convicted.”
Assistant Chief Constable Merrett said: “For four and a half years now, I have been co-ordinating the national operation which has been seeking to populate and analyse the life of Tobin, gathering details of where he lived, worked and frequented since the late 1960s.
“This has involved collating information from across Britain to enable the Operation Anagram investigation team to assess whether he had any links to other criminal offences.
“In July last year two gardens where Peter Tobin had lived in Brighton and Hove were extensively searched and excavated as a result of Operation Anagram.
“Later that same year a garage in Hampshire was similarly searched.
“This work revealed no evidence linking either property to crimes.
“There have also been several high-profile media appeals on programmes such as BBC Crimewatch which has enabled us to fill in many gaps within Tobin’s life and also provided new lines of inquiry from potential witnesses and past associates of Tobin.
“We have now reached the point where all available information has been analysed.
“Our meticulous and thorough inquiries based on this information have been concluded and at present there is no new information available to us on which to base further inquiries.
“To that end, the Operation Anagram investigation team will be decreased in the coming weeks.
“I realise that this news will be a disappointment to many families who were seeking information about their loved ones.
“However, I am keen to stress that Operation Anagram is not closing down.
“We will never give up seeking to establish the full truth about Tobin and should any new information come to light we will offer the same thoroughness and dedication which has seen Operation Anagram become such a unique investigation in the UK.
“Finally I would like to thank all the members of the public who have come forward during this inquiry providing us with valuable information including those individuals whose lives have been, or possibly have been, cruelly touched by Peter Tobin.
“The media and in particular the team at BBC Crimewatch have been crucial to our work and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their assistance.”
Anyone with information about Peter Tobin can still contact the Operation Anagram incident room at Strathclyde Police via email which will be monitored daily: operation.anagram@strathclyde.pnn.police.uk.
