As 2017 draws to an end I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the progress that the investigation has made over the past 12 months.
My investigation team has been busy gathering a vast volume of material from a number of places.
A significant proportion of this is historic material generated by original Royal Ulster Constabulary investigations, Lord Stevens’ investigations, the Historic Enquiry Team (HET) and recent PSNI legacy investigations.
I am, however, also in receipt of a significant amount of new material provided by victims and families, PSNI, MOD and Security Services meaning my team now have in excess of 500,000 pages of material and a large quantity of exhibits.
Experienced detectives, analysts and forensic teams are working tirelessly reviewing and examining all of this material. It is an demanding task but one that we are totally committed to. It will take some time to complete and I remain grateful for your patience and support while this important work continues.
In particular I want to place on record my sincere thanks to those partners and individuals who are providing assistance to my investigation, whether that be through providing essential support to bereaved families, assisting my officers in engaging with communities that have in the past had no trust in the police, or for giving of their time and expertise in an advisory capacity.
Your contributions are making a real difference and my team and I are truly grateful.
Most importantly I wanted to acknowledge and thank those brave families and witnesses who continue to come forward and tell their stories. The information you are providing is of vital importance to this investigation.
May I also take this opportunity to wish you and your families a peaceful holiday period.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher
