At a recent briefing by PSNI on the work of Legacy Investigation Branch Members were advised that the branch comprises of 70 officers and staff and has an annual budget of £4.5 million. Given that the number of staff currently working on legacy investigations accounts for less than 1% of PSNI’s workforce and the budget for the branch is less than 1% of the overall PSNI budget, is the Chief Constable content that there are sufficient resources to address the outstanding legacy matters?
PSNI’s financial and resourcing commitment to Legacy matters is not limited to the £4.5 million allocation to Legacy Investigation Branch (LIB). As the Board will be aware a number of external investigations are presently being carried out on behalf of the Chief Constable. These investigations bring PSNI’s spend on legacy investigations alone to in excess of £12 million pounds per annum.
In addition to legacy investigations PSNI also bears significant Legacy related costs associated with Legacy Inquests. Costs associated with Legacy Litigation are also significant and increasing.
Inquests are being facilitated by a dedicated team from the PSNI Legacy Support Unit. A team of 42 researchers along with additional legal staff are currently being recruited as part of additional funding totalling £19.5m over a five year period. This was the subject of a detailed business case in 2018.
PSNI continue to work with DOJ to work on a Litigation business case.
The table below summaries the costs:
Legacy Investigation Branch | Approx. £4.5m per annum. |
Operation Kenova | £7m per annum |
Operation Klina | £1m per annum |
Legacy Compensation/Fees | Est. £5m per annum |
Legacy Litigation (not settlement) | £2.5m rising to £4m per annum |
The recent consultation on the Stormont House Agreement (SHA) found that the existing structures and resource allocation for dealing with the past are viewed as insufficient. It stated, “There is……broad agreement that the system currently used is not delivering enough for victims, survivors and for wider society.” The PSNI submitted a detailed response to the Stormont House Agreement outlining our support for the principals set out in the Draft Bill. We retain the view that the SHA offers the best chance of delivering the architecture needed to address Legacy matters. In the absence of such architecture we are instead forced to balance our statutory obligation to investigate the past with our contemporary policing purpose of keeping people safe.
PSNI’s LIB currently has 1130 outstanding cases relating to 1421 deaths. It bares repetition that the cost of policing legacy matters (investigation, litigation, compensation and disclosure) reduces the resources available for contemporary policing. Were additional funding to be made available for legacy, this burden on contemporary policing would reduce and could enable more rapid progress to be made on legacy investigations. In short, additional funds could help, but we need to be confident that we can recruit sufficient trained investigators.