![\"Police](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/127b6c8d-871d-495c-b0ec-5925ae72dfe6.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSpeaking at today\u2019s Policing Board meeting, Mr Boutcher was pressed by SDLP MLA Colin McGrath on whether the findings of Operation Kenova, which investigated the actions of IRA informer Freddie Scappaticci, known as Stakeknife, and further references in reports, such as the McCullough report, which investigated surveillance of NI journalists, demonstrated the need for \u201ca root-and-branch review\u201d of MI5\u2019s conduct and its current memorandum of understanding with the PSNI.<\/p>\n
Mr McGrath cited Operation Kenova\u2019s conclusions that MI5 had attempted to restrict investigators and \u201cconceal the truth of IRA crimes it knew about\u201d, and that the agency repeatedly downplayed its role in handling the agent known as Stakeknife.<\/p>\n
Asked if such revelations demanded major reform, Mr Boutcher, who previously headed up the Kenova investigation, said the central issue lay in \u201ccultural\u201d differences within the organisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is about cultural issues, MI5 are doing so much work to keep society safe, and I know they\u2019re driven by values and ethics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut in Northern Ireland, there is what I describe as a blind spot, and it\u2019s due to, on one side of the Troubles, the security forces who, by the way, invariably in my experience on Kenova, acted outstandingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut where things happened that should not have happened, they should not be covered up. They should not be hidden from view.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that any \u201cwell-functioning democracy\u201d would ensure such issues were surfaced so society could learn from them.<\/p>\n
The Chief Constable emphasised that he held the agency in high regard, stressing his long-standing relationship with Director General Sir Ken McCallum.<\/p>\n
\u201cPersonally, I want to point out that MI5 are a remarkable organisation, (McCallum) is an outstanding individual and leader,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, Mr Boutcher acknowledged that the Kenova report and recent legislative changes meant agencies must now reassess how they handle historical cases, adding that government and security bodies \u201cneed to digest\u201d the findings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m involved in conversations to try and change how some of these approaches are taken, and I\u2019m hoping that we will be in a better and more confident place moving forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He defended the principle of public interest immunity and the neither-confirm-nor-deny (NCND) policy, describing himself as its \u201chugest advocate\u201d, because it protects lives and operational methods. But he warned that the policy must be applied \u201cintelligently and proportionately\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should never be applied where it is done so to hide wrongdoing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Boutcher added that he could not expand further, but reiterated that legacy processes were evolving and that institutions must confront uncomfortable truths rather than obscure them.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere in the meeting, the Chief Constable also addressed the case of a serving police officer charged in connection with the alleged theft of ammunition from the PSNI training college at Steeple, Antrim and described the officer charged as \u201cdevious\u201d.<\/p>\n
Asked about how such offences could occur undetected, and whether the force\u2019s audit processes were sufficiently robust, speaking generally, Mr Boutcher said even the most comprehensive systems cannot fully prevent misconduct.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can never, sometimes, take account of what some of your staff will do, whatever measures you put in, if they\u2019re devious enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He added that he had asked Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, the National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council Lead for Armed Policing, to carry out a full review, with terms of reference to be shared with the Policing Board and Department of Justice.<\/p>\n
It comes after the PSNI confirmed that a 63-year-old officer has been charged with multiple firearms-related offences, including theft of ammunition, possession of prohibited ammunition, possession in suspicious circumstances, and possessing ammunition without a certificate.<\/p>\n
He has also been charged with taking a vehicle without consent and making or supplying articles for use in fraud.<\/p>\n
Board members also questioned firearm licensing rules after reports that an individual held multiple weapons.<\/p>\n
Assistant Chief Constable Melanie Jones clarified that while firearms dealers are subject to limits, there is no statutory cap on how many weapons a private licence holder may own, provided they meet the \u201cfit and proper person\u201d test and have a good reason for each firearm.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Chief Constable Jon Boutcher. Liam McBurney\/PA<\/p>\n
Dean Stephen Forde on the Black Santa Appeal 2025 <\/p>\n
In a wider update on security trends, Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck told the meeting that 2025 is the first year since records began in which there have been no security-related deaths in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Paramilitary assaults are at their lowest level in more than 40 years, while shootings are at their lowest in around 17 years.<\/p>\n
However, he cautioned that the threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism remains \u201csubstantial\u201d, meaning an attack is likely, and said coercive control, intimidation and organised crime linked to paramilitary groups continue to impact communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Speaking at today\u2019s Policing Board meeting, Mr Boutcher was pressed by SDLP MLA Colin McGrath on whether the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[2378,24406,1249,1144,1610,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-626477","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-belfast","9":"tag-jon-boutcher","10":"tag-kurtis-reid","11":"tag-northern-ireland","12":"tag-police-service-of-northern-ireland","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115701564361923676","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}