The below was published by Policing Insight - an interview with former Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Jon Boutcher who talks about his current role leading the independent investigation into the activities of ‘Stakeknife’, a state agent involved in kidnap, torture and murder by the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland in the 1980s.
As the finale to a long and impressive career, Jon Boutcher could have remained as Bedfordshire Police’s Chief Constable until he was ready to retire from the police service. Instead, he left this force this year not to take a back seat, but to lead one of the most politically-sensitive criminal investigations currently happening: Operation Kenova.
“I speak to the families on a very regular basis, they have never been told the truth about what happened to their loved ones and that has an enduring impact on the confidence of those families in the police even today.
Kenova is the independent investigation into the activities of a state agent codenamed ‘Stakeknife’ who is thought to have infiltrated the Provisional IRA and commissioned them to conduct a series of murders, kidnaps and torture.
Whilst some families of the victims received justice at the time, many didn’t. The reason for this is that the police investigations that took place at the time were what Mr Boutcher describes as ‘limited’; it simply wasn’t safe for officers’ to properly investigate crimes and, of course, a large part of the community did not trust the police.
For a police officer who has spent 28 out of his 35 years police as a detective, the idea that a criminal investigation has fallen far short of what a victim’s family is entitled to is an anathema. He is leading Operation Kenova because, like every detective, he wants to give the truth to the loved ones of those killed.
“I retired from Bedfordshire Police because of this. This is so important. I’ve met families across all the different sectors. Some families will have got justice and will have been told the truth at the time, but for many other families that was not the case.
“I speak to the families on a very regular basis, they have never been told the truth about what happened to their loved ones and that has an enduring impact on the confidence of those families in the police even today. The families are entitled to an investigation that has access to all the information that exists. If it is known by whom and why their loved ones were killed, the evidence should be put to the Director of Public Prosecutions of Northern Ireland to consider.
“The families didn’t get the investigation they were entitled to. This is a matter of putting the record straight for those families. It is their right.”
As Mr Boutcher says these crimes had an horrendous impact on families that has echoed through the years.
“There is so much pain arising from the original cases. What you have to understand is that these families have suffered other terrible events and losses in their lives as a result of what has happened to them. For some, their subsequent lives have been turbulent and often tragic because of their loss.
“I meet the children of some of these victims. They are carrying on the same burden of responsibility to find out what happened. That doesn’t go away. They are only after what it is surely reasonable for someone to expect and that is the absolute truth of what happened to their loved one.”
What is clear is that Mr Boutcher now carries that burden too. He has met numerous families involved face to face and the day before this interview took place, he had been on the phone to eleven families to update on them on progress.
But there is another reason why it is so important to discover the truth and that is the ‘dirty war’ that surrounds these crimes.
“There is a void that is filled by conspiracy theorists. That is why it is so important to establish the facts – as a matter of record and as an accurate history of what really happened."
Not only will there be a record of what happened, but unusually given the sensitivities around this, that record will be made public, something Mr Boutcher personally argued for.
“I insisted on this at the outset. Yes, there was understandable concern. We are dealing with a most sensitive aspect of the Troubles, but there was also an understanding by individuals, in particular, the now retired PSNI Chief Constable Sir George Hamilton, that it needed to be done this way to give those families confidence in the process.
In addition to a public report, Mr Boutcher also pushed for an independent steering group and a victim-focus group with specific terms of reference and who the team meet on a regular basis to keep informed of developments and to listen to their concerns.
These crimes happened a long time ago and they are, by their nature, incredibly difficult investigations. There needs to be realism about what can be achieved and the challenge for Mr Boutcher is not to raise expectations too high. Having said that, he says he is surprised and pleased at the amount of information that has come to light.
“More people came forward than I was expecting. We have got an understanding of what happened.”
It is believed that Mr Boutcher will be submitting a number of files to the Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland in the near future.
While there is an understanding that families deserve the truth and justice should be served regardless of when the crime was originally committed, there are also concerns as to what operations like Kenova really gain, given the resources they need at a time when current policing is under considerable financial pressure.
“Operation Kenova is about finding the truth however uncomfortable that might be for the various sides. It is simply the right thing to do.
It’s a concern Mr Boutcher doesn’t share. He is unequivocal about the importance of Operation Kenova and the implications it has for today’s policing environment.
“Mistrust of the police by some parts of the community will not be addressed unless we can confront actions of the past, fully examine them and establish the truth. I have been told of countless conspiracy theories regarding murders committed during the Troubles; it vital for all communities that where the truth can be established that this is done. That includes proving those conspiracy stories are false, are in effect propaganda and have misled families for years about what happened to their loved ones. Operation Kenova is about finding the truth however uncomfortable that might be for the various sides. It is simply the right thing to do.
“If communities can trust that this is being done properly, it will help them to move forward and to have confidence in policing and the wider state in a way that can only benefit everyone.”
