Following today's meeting of the Policing Board, Board Chair Mukesh Sharma MBE DL issued the following statement:
"The Board has today considered the report into PSNI use of covert powers in relation to journalists and lawyers which the Chief Constable has committed to publishing. The Board welcomes the further transparency that publication of the report will provide.
However, the report does not give the Board all the assurance it needs. The McCullough review process may do so, and the Board will receive updates as that work progresses.
The Board takes its human rights monitoring duties seriously. The emphasis we have put on police use of covert surveillance has contributed to the establishment of these arrangements. Police surveillance remains a focus of the Board’s human rights work and has constituted a large part of our recent review of privacy and policing.
The Board awaits the conclusion of the McCullough Review and remains open to all courses of action to ensure there is proper accountability on these issues, and will continue to pursue the question of the use of police surveillance powers directly with the Chief Constable."
Ends
Notes to Editors
The Chief Constable's Report to the Northern Ireland Policing Board Covert Powers in Relation to Journalists and Lawyers can be found here: https://www.nipolicingboard.org.uk/files/nipolicingboard/2024-06/Chief%20Constable%27s%20Report%20to%20NIPB%20-%206%20June%202024.pdf
The Board's Human Rights Review of Privacy and Policing can be found here: https://www.nipolicingboard.org.uk/publication/human-rights-review-privacy-and-policing
Notes Ends