Police Service of Northern Ireland response to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland public statement on Kingsmill.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “First and foremost our thoughts today are with the families and loved ones of those killed and injured in this awful attack. I want to acknowledge the pain and suffering that they all continue to feel. Their unimaginable suffering has been compounded by the lack of the fulsome and effective investigation that everyone would want and that they deserve.
“The Police Ombudsman has concluded that the failings identified in the RUC investigation took place against a backdrop of what she describes as ‘wholly insufficient’ resources to deal with an enquiry the size of the Kingsmill investigation. A situation exacerbated by a backdrop of multiple terrorist attacks in the South Armagh and South Down areas that overwhelmed the already limited investigative resources.
“Areas of the report make for uncomfortable reading and I note the failings the Police Ombudsman has identified in the original investigation. It is important to note that the Ombudsman found no intelligence that could have forewarned of, or allowed police to prevent, the murders nor did it identify any intelligence that indicated a direct threat to any of the deceased or injured.
“The families and loved ones of those targeted in this attack have to live with the consequences every day. I am determined to do all I can to provide these remarkable families with the acknowledgement they deserve and the answers they crave.”
ENDS
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