George Hamilton: Legacy issue PSNI chief's 'biggest regret'

The outgoing chief constable of the PSNI has said his biggest regret is the unanswered questions for families and victims in terms of legacy issues.

Sir George Hamilton finishes in his role on Friday.

He told the Nolan Show that when he became chief constable five years ago he asked for the issue to be resolved.

"Everybody seemed to agree what needed to happen and five years on we're still waiting for that to be delivered," he said.

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He added: "The biggest regret is probably around issues that I feel I had limited control over - we might have made our own mistakes along the way.

"But on the legacy issue, the lack of closure, the lack of justice, the unanswered questions for families and for victims, that's first and foremost the most important thing.

"But sitting alongside that is the negative impact that unresolved legacy issue has on policing today."

Sir George also warned that Irish border security must be bolstered post-Brexit.

However, he added there was "no desire to move back to a border with the security apparatus and the infrastructure of the past".

Turning to the issue of a court ruling in a dispute over backdated holiday pay, the chief constable again said there would be a massive impact on the PSNI if it has to pay the estimated £40m bill.

"We have already taken £150m out of the baseline police budget in the last five years," he said.

Class action was brought by a group representing more than 3,700 police officers and civilian staff

"I can't see where there's another £40m to come out without having a massive impact on service delivery."

In November 2018, a tribunal found that a group of more than 3,700 police officers and civilian staff were owed money for a shortfall in holiday pay dating back 20 years.

In June of this year, appeal court judges held that holiday pay should be calculated on the basis of actual annual working days - meaning the figure could be in the region of £40m.

"In terms of the use of public money, the money's going to have to come from somewhere," Sir George said.

"We're taking legal advice on whether we just get on with that and leave it with government to find the money for that or whether to appeal that and get absolute clarity about what the position is."

Sir George said that from April of last year police have been paying overtime payment into holiday pay and will continue to do so.

However, he said there were questions over the reasonableness of going back 20 years.

"In England and Scotland and Wales there was a two-year limit," he said.

"The rules as set by our executive, when we had one, did not put any limit on the retrospective nature of this claim. I don't know why that's the case, that's for other people to answer."