In light of press reporting and comments by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland regarding the access to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) material the following statement has been released :
Operation Kenova is working very closely with the PSNI and the Office of the Police Ombudsman Northern Ireland to ensure that they are able to effectively investigate those offences which fall within the Operation Kenova Terms of Reference. The disclosure of material held by PSNI is central to this task. Due to the need to maintain the confidence and trust of families and victims who have engaged with Operation Kenova, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and his team has been afforded full and unfettered independent access to all relevant materials held by the PSNI by Chief Constable George Hamilton. This is now a well-established process and underpins all interactions with PSNI.
Chief Constable Boutcher said: “The timely and effective disclosure of material from police, military and security services is a critical component in all Operation Kenova investigations.
“I am confident that the arrangements that have been put in place with Chief Constable Hamilton guarantee that my investigators are afforded access to all relevant material held by the PSNI.”