The new head of Kenova has reaffirmed his commitment to victims in a message of reassurance to families and communities.
Former Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone vowed to continue the victim-centred approach after agreeing to take on the role as Officer In Overall Command of Kenova from Jon Boutcher who has been made Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Sir Iain, who retired from his previous role in August, has been closely aligned to Operation Kenova since its inception as a member of its Independent Steering Group a
nd more recently chair of the Kenova Governance Board.
He said: "Victims and their loved ones have always been at the heart of Kenova and that will continue under my leadership.
"I have watched Kenova’s progress closely and have been hugely impressed by its ability to access information not available to previous investigations and inquiries, acting with diligence and rigour in the search for the truth.
"I am committed to continuing Kenova's work through this next phase and look forward to working with families, communities and all agencies in the months ahead."
Sir Iain now takes full control of Kenova from Mr Boutcher who had led the series of investigations and inquiries since its inception in 2016.
Mr Boutcher said: "It has been an absolute privilege to have led Kenov
a. To have the opportunity to meet and work closely with so many incredible families has been truly humbling, and while I now have a different role, I remain absolutely committed to ensuring they get the truth about what happened to their loved ones. I will now be doing that as Chief Constable supporting the work that remains. I will continue to be there for families and victims - that will never change.
"Kenova will continue in the safe hands of the excellent Sir Iain and all the dedicated and determined detectives and staff. It's been the most important work of my career. I made that clear to the Policing Board.
"I will keep a close eye on Kenova’s progress, it is part of my DNA and an incredibly important chapter in the history of Northern Ireland.
"It has shown how important a victim-centred approach is, I intend to bring that ethos to my role with the PSNI to support communities across Northern Ireland and those impacted during the Troubles. I am immensely grateful for everyone's huge support. It is that supp
ort that encouraged me to take this role. Having the relationships with families and legacy stakeholders will be of great benefit to my chief constable role."
The Kenova interim report has now passed all the security checking and has been provided to PSNI for a decision regarding publication.