SUFFOLK police was today promised an extra £8million to pay for the investigation of the Ipswich prostitute killings.Police Minister Tony McNulty said the force would have to find £1m of the £9 million spent on the investigation so far, with the Home Office paying the rest.

SUFFOLK police was today promised an extra £8million to pay for the investigation of the Ipswich prostitute murders

Police Minister Tony McNulty said the force would have to find £1m of the £9 million spent on the investigation so far, with the Home Office paying the rest. More money will follow next year, he told the House of Commons.

In reply to a question from Ipswich MP Chris Mole, he said the costs of the “exceptional events” just before Christmas would be covered by a specific grant in addition to the force's normal funding.

He said: “As we are now, Suffolk has applied for all the activities thus far - some £9m of special grant.

“HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary) has determined that much of that is entirely reasonable but it's only going to be the first half of an extended special grant because clearly pre-trial preparation, further investigations will carry well on into the subsequent financial years.”

“We will be equally very sympathetic given the unusual circumstances for what is a relatively small force when the second half of that special grant comes in next year and will treat it in similar or better terms.”

Hundreds of officers and support staff from more than 30 UK forces worked on the investigations into the deaths of the five women who worked as prostitutes in Ipswich.

Detectives worked non-stop for two weeks late last year on the biggest inquiry of its kind seen in Britain for more than a quarter of a century.