Written evidence from the Northern Ireland
Policing Board
The Board has discussed the Northern Ireland
Affairs Committee Inquiry into Policing and Criminal Justice in
Northern Ireland and Members have the following responses on the
two specific areas of concern:
1. "The financial and operating consequences
for the Police Service of Northern Ireland of servicing the various
`historic inquiries' into past events in Northern Ireland."
It is the view of the Northern Ireland Policing
Board that the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service
in preventing and detecting crime should not be compromised by
dealing with the various commitments to historical inquiries (ie
the PSNI Public Enquiry Unit, the PSNI Retrospective Murder Review
Unit, Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Historical Enquiries
Team, the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry, the Robert Hamill Inquiry,
the Billy Wright Inquiry, the Stevens Inquiry and the Criminal
Cases Review Commission). It is the responsibility of Government
to ensure that the police service be provided with adequate funding
to deal with "policing the past".
2. "The effect on the ability of the
Police Service Northern Ireland to bring accused persons to trial
of provisions in the Inquiries Act 2005 and in other legislation
requiring the police to divulge information which might identify
a covert source."
The Board did not agree a response on this issue.
Professor Sir Desmond Rea
Chairman
Northern Ireland Policing Board
22 January 2008
| 
