Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Watchdog in warning over funding for police probes
THE Police Ombudsman has warned probes into serious criminality by officers could be delayed by further budget cuts.
Dr Michael Maguire said the ability to deal with all public complaints could be undermined as he urged a rethink from paymasters at the justice department.
Nearly 400 historical cases are under investigation and most involve murders, among them 19 killings linked to the Shankill Butchers.
But the watchdog’s budget has been cut by 3%.
Dr Maguire said: “This situation cannot be permitted to continue.
“The impact of reduced resources is significant and in particular it has meant we have been unable to progress some particularly complex and resourceintensive cases in a timely fashion.
“A further cycle of funding reductions will lead to a decrease in the service provided by the office.”
A spokesman for the Department of Justice said the Ombudsman’s office has consistently been one of the most protected by the department.