The Board’s Performance Committee met with the Deputy Chief Constable today to discuss disclosure matters in respect of Coronial Inquests.
Jonathan Craig MLA Chair of the Board’s Performance Committee said:
“The meeting was convened to seek explanation from the Deputy Chief Constable on recent issues around disclosure of material by the PSNI to Coronial Inquests.
Delays in redaction and disclosure, resource allocation to support Coronial process, the prioritisation of legacy cases and correspondence between the PSNI, the Senior Coroner and the Crown Solicitor’s Office have now formed the basis of a series of very frank and robust Board discussions with both the Chief Constable and the Deputy Chief Constable.
Whilst recognising the complexity and challenges around the disclosure of inquest material, Members remain seriously concerned around the damage this issue causes to confidence in policing and the Coronial process.
The Committee agreed that a recommendation is made to the March Board meeting that an independent review of the PSNI disclosure processes and interface with the Coronial process should be conducted.”
Ends
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