The Ulster Unionist Party’s Justice Spokesperson, Doug Beattie MC MLA, has described the proposed Historical Investigations Unit as at best a grave miscalculation by the UK Government, and at worse a betrayal of the RUC and the Army.

Doug Beattie MC MLA said:

"The Ulster Unionist Party has consistently raised concerns about aspects of the proposed Legacy consultation process and the whole issue of how we deal with the past. One of the most troubling aspects is the proposed Historical Investigations Unit (HIU) which will effectively be a parallel police force set up to look into the past. It should not be forgotten that the HIU was the brainchild of the DUP.

“The HIU opens up a whole range of issues, not least with regard to accountability, structure and who will actually be in the HIU. The case load will focus on state forces and the need to comply with Article 2 obligations under the ECHR. Only the State has records, so inevitably the HIU’s focus will be on the Police and Army, because no equivalent records exist for the IRA or loyalist terrorist groups, who between them were responsible for 90 per cent of Troubles related killings.

“This suits those who wish to re-write the past and portray the State, the Police and the Army as the villains of the piece, but it does a massive dis-service to those who put on uniforms and bravely stood between the terrorists and those they sought to terrorise.

“A number of other issues relating to the HIU also cause me concerns. With regard to information relating to investigations; the Republic of Ireland’s Government will be able to redact prior to investigation while the UK Government will be - by law - expected to present all information for investigation.  

“Bizarrely, there is no mechanism to investigate Troubles related injuries – even in cases where they may have contributed to a premature death - only fatalities. Nor is there any appreciation of the context of the times, with the events being viewed through the prism of policing and justice from the safety and comfort of 2018.

“The very existence of the HIU raises questions of the extent of trust and confidence in the PSNI. If the PSNI is not trusted to investigate past issues, does this mean that the HIU cannot recruit PSNI members? Because if they can recruit PSNI officers, then why is the HIU to be a separate autonomous structure from the PSNI? And if they cannot recruit them, this surely casts grave doubts on their ability, credibility and reliability when it comes to investigating present and future terrorist crimes.

“In short, the Historical Inquiries Unit is at best a grave miscalculation by the UK Government, and at worse a betrayal of the RUC and the Army.”