The press have “damaged and hindered” the work of Surrey Police during Milly Dowler's disappearance investigation, the Leveson Inquiry has heard.Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Kirkby said journalists were a “degree of distraction” when carrying out the investigation into the disappearance of Milly Dowler in 2002, but said the majority of his dealings with the press had been positive.Kirkby told the inquiry: “It meant diverting resources to actually look at being about to respond in an accurate way to the press.”He said senior officers involved in the case had described elements of press interest as being “immense” and “mischievous”, and officers were forced to cooperate with the Sun and News of the World offering money for information, after the papers threatened to go ahead without police backing.Kirkby said an investigation into the hacking of Milly Dowler’s voicemail by the News of the World will be completed by the end of May and presented to the inquiry.He also pointed out two newspapers are potentially facing contempt of court charges over reporting of Levi Bellfield, who was convicted of the teenager's murder in 2011.The chief constable confirmed five of eight formal briefings given to the Crime Reporters Association between 2002 and 2010 concerned the Dowler case. He said six or seven informal briefings had taken place in a restaurant bar in Guildford, and while the force paid for food, the journalists paid for any alcohol consumed.He added: “There's one thing about doing an event with a large number and establish an association, and I think there's something quite different between having social encounters with individual journalists.”Kirkby was asked about the arrest of television presenter Matthew Kelly in 2003, saying it had been brought forward after the press became aware of the case. Kelly was arrested over alleged child abuse claims but was never charged.He added: “It necessitated us bringing forward a planned arrest because we knew there was going to be coverage and publication material the next day.”He said Piers Morgan, then editor of the Daily Mirror, sent the force a note saying: “These stories are hideously difficulty for both you guys and us. Fame and crime sends most of the usual rules out of the window.”Kirkby also told the inquiry an office had been suspended over suspected leaks to the media, under Operation Elveden. The incident was one of five investigated by the force.