MI5 has ‘blind spot’ over Northern Ireland Troubles, Boutcher says
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA
MI5 has a “blind spot” when it comes to dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has said.
The Chief Constable faced a call at the Policing Board for “root-and-branch” review of his force’s relationship with MI5 following the publication of the Operation Kenova report.
The report looked at the actions of Stakeknife, the Army’s top spy in the Provisional IRA’s internal security unit during the Troubles.
The agent has been linked to at least 14 murders and 15 abductions.
He was widely believed to be west Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who was 77 when he died in 2023.
The report said that MI5’s initial failure to disclose all it knew about Stakeknife to Kenova investigators was a “significant failure”.
It also said that MI5 had “earlier and greater knowledge” of Stakeknife than it had at first stated.
SDLP Policing Board member Colin McGrath said the report showed that MI5 had known about Stakeknife’s crimes and “did nothing”.
He added: “Does it not all confirm that there needs to be a root-and-branch review of MI5’s actions and conduct here, including the current PSNI and MI5 MOU (memorandum of understanding)?”
Mr Boutcher said that MI5 is a “remarkable organisation”.
He added: “I think this is about cultural issues. MI5 are doing so much work to keep society safe and I know they are driven by values and ethics.
“But in Northern Ireland there is what I describe as a blind spot.
“It is to do with the fact that on one side of the Troubles were the security forces, who, by the way, invariably in my experiences on Kenova acted outstandingly and we should never forget the sacrifice the security forces made.
“But where we got things wrong, where things happened that should not have happened, they should not be covered up.
“They should not be hidden from view.
“Any well-functioning democracy would ensure that those issues are surfaced so that we can learn from them.”
Mr Boutcher said he believed the security forces are on a “journey around how we deal with legacy”.
He said: “There is new legislation that has changed from very recent legislation about how legacy was to be addressed.
“I think the (Kenova) report needs to be digested by various organisations, including government.
“I am involved in conversations to try and change how some of these approaches are taken.
“I am hoping we will be in a better and more confident place moving forward.”
The Kenova report also called for the UK Government to publicly reveal the identity of Stakeknife.
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has said he will respond to this at the conclusion of an ongoing case in the Supreme Court which, he said, had implications for the policy of Neither Confirm Nor Deny (NCND) with agents.
Mr Boutcher told the board he was an advocate of NCND as it is “vital to protect lives, to protect methodology”.
But he added: “But it should be applied intelligently and proportionately, and it should never be applied where it is done so to hide wrongdoing.”
