The chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Jon Boutcher, revealed to Members of Parliament that the PSNI has paid out £25m in recent years to settle civil cases related to the Troubles. Surprisingly, the majority of this hefty sum went directly to lawyers, totaling almost £18m, while the victims who actually brought the claims received less than half of that amount. Mr. Boutcher shared these details during his appearance before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, highlighting the disproportionate distribution of funds in such cases.
In his testimony, Mr. Boutcher painted a grim picture of the situation, describing the handling of legacy issues as a lucrative field for lawyers due to the contentious nature of information disclosure by all security agencies. He emphasized that the PSNI was ill-equipped and underfunded to deal with the escalating costs associated with these cases. The financial burden has hindered the recruitment of additional officers, with Mr. Boutcher revealing that the annual expenditure on legacy issues could potentially cover the salaries of about 400 police officers.
The PSNI’s Legacy Investigations Branch (LIB) plays a crucial role in addressing these civil actions, which have seen a significant spike in numbers in recent years. Detective Chief Superintendent Claire McGuigan, who heads the LIB, expressed concern over the lack of resources and financial support to effectively deal with the mounting cases. Despite the passing of the Legacy Act, which transferred Troubles’ cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR), the PSNI continues to grapple with obligations linked to historical cases. Former Police Ombudsman Nuala O’Loan echoed these sentiments, urging the government to allocate a specific budget to address these long-standing issues
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