NI cold case crimes probe set to start

The PSNI have announced that a specialist 'Historical Enquiries Team' (HET) is to investigate 3,268 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland.

The 200-strong team of detectives will spend up to seven years and more than £30 million on the investigation.

Announcing the probe, Chief Constable Hugh Orde said that he hoped the investigation would finally bring closure to many families who had a right to know as much as possible.

Mr Orde said if there were lines of inquiry which gave an opportunity to go to court the team would deliver on that. If not, he said that "full and frank" briefings would be provided to families on the assessment of the investigation.

The review team will be led by retired Metropolitan Police Commander David Cox.

Mr Cox said: "The Historical Enquiries Team is about offering families in Northern Ireland a thorough and independent re-appraisal of unsolved cases.

“What we want to say today is that we are here, we are up and running and to let people know how they can contact us if they need to. We have two main aims, to offer answers and hopefully a greater level of resolution to families and to identify and explore any remaining or new evidential opportunities that exist. Central to this aim will be the principle of maximum permissible disclosure and a policy of honesty in the disclosure of information.

“I do not for a moment underestimate the complexity of this challenge or the potential emotional stress for relatives associated with re-visiting these tragic events. That is why families will sit at the very heart of our investigations and that is why our primary objective will be to work with them to achieve some measure of resolution for them.

“We have recruited police and civilian staff from Northern Ireland and externally, who have been specially trained to place the needs of families and victims at the very centre of everything we do.

“The Historical Enquiries Team have two distinct Review and Investigation teams, one will be staffed exclusively by officers external to Northern Ireland who can deal with cases where complete independence is essential and the other will be made up of staff recruited locally. The balance of locally recruited and external staff is designed to deliver an effective response to the challenges ahead and reassurance where it is needed."

The cold cases will be assessed, reviewed and where merited re-investigated with a view to either judicial proceedings being initiated or a move towards a resolution.

The first 100 cases in the massive case-load dating from April 1969 to prior to the 1998 establishment of the Good Friday Agreement are to be re-opened next week.

Based in specially designed accommodation in Sprucefield near Lisburn, the Historical Enquiries Team can be contacted on 028 9258 2589 or by email at het@nics.gov.uk

(SP/CL)