Regular readers will recall how Guido often wonders how it is the Guardian gets their hacking scoops. Well it turns out their rivals and the Met itself have been wondering the very same thing…

This recent exchange between the Times’ Sean O’Neill and the BBC’s Gaetan Portal, who both cover crime, reveals their suspicions:

http://twitter.com/#!/GaetanPortal/status/104588299267608576

The proper source of information for journalists is of course the Met’s press bureau. The Indy’s Oliver Wright observes

http://twitter.com/#!/oliver_wright/status/104580767509786624

Lo and behold today a 51 year old police officer, working on the phone-hacking inquiry named Operation Weeting, was arrested and suspended for leaking to the Guardian.  Given that David Leigh has already confessed to phone-hacking, the Guardian’s squeaky clean reputation is collapsing at a rapid speed. Was this blatant corruption of police integrity sanctioned?

Just last month the Guardian issued a lofty and updated guide to ethical standards for intruding into private matters, such as a police investigation, rule four stated: “There must be proper authority – any intrusion must be authorised at a sufficiently senior level and with appropriate oversight.” 

Guido looks forward to Rusbridger’s imminent statement on what he knew and when…