Policing Board seeks meeting over alleged PSNI journalist surveillance

Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Wednesday

The Policing Board leadership has requested an urgent meeting with the chief constable following new details about the PSNI's alleged surveillance of journalists.

The board says it wants assurances from Jon Boutcher that powers have been used "lawfully and proportionately".

The meeting is likely to take place next week and be behind closed doors.

On Wednesday, London court heard claims the PSNI routinely accessed several journalists' phone records years ago.

It was told this was done in an attempt to uncover their sources.

The claim was made by a lawyer acting for journalists for Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey who believe they were targeted by unlawful covert surveillance.

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal is taking place at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

In a statement, a Policing Board spokesperson said the chair and the vice chair have asked for clarification and assurance about whether surveillance powers have been used appropriately in the past.

The board wants assurances from Jon Boutcher that powers have been used "lawfully and proportionately"

Mr McCaffrey and Mr Birney were arrested over the suspected theft of files from the Police Ombudsman's Office in 2018.

They had been working on a documentary about the Loughinisland killings.

The film examined how the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) handled the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) murders of six Catholic men at a pub in Loughinisland in 1994.

The PSNI later unreservedly apologised for how the men had been treated and agreed to pay £875,000 in damages to the journalists and the film company behind the documentary.

Earlier this month, it emerged that lawyers acting for the BBC have written to the tribunal about the alleged police surveillance of one of its former journalists.

Vincent Kearney worked on Spotlight and presented a programme about the Police Ombudsman's Office in 2011.

Mr Kearney believes the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) may have attempted to identify sources of information for the programme.