Northern Ireland

Theresa May again claims security force personnel focus of legacy investigations

Prime Minister Theresa May has again claimed service personnel and police officers are the only focus of legacy investigations in the north
Prime Minister Theresa May has again claimed service personnel and police officers are the only focus of legacy investigations in the north Prime Minister Theresa May has again claimed service personnel and police officers are the only focus of legacy investigations in the north

Prime Minister Theresa May has once again claimed that security force personnel are the primary focus of legacy investigations just weeks after being criticised for making a similar suggestion.

Mrs May claimed service personnel and police officers are “the sole subject of investigations” in the north during Prime Minister’s questions yesterday.

Similar remarks last month were strongly criticised by nationalists while PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton said Mrs May's comments were not borne out by statistics.

He said figures which show former security force members are linked to only 30 per cent of cases within the PSNI's legacy investigations branch "speak for themselves".

Then the Tory Prime Minister claimed last month that "the only people being investigated for these issues that happened in the past are those in our armed forces or those who served in law enforcement in Northern Ireland".

Addressing MP’s yesterday Mrs May said: "What we do want to ensure is that we don't see our servicemen and women and indeed in relation to legacy issues in Northern Ireland police officers being the sole subject of investigations, which is what is happening at the moment.

"I want to ensure that terrorists are investigated for past crimes as well and that is why the Secretary of State has launched the consultation on legacy issues and it is of course open to people to respond to that consultation."

Mrs May was speaking after former defence minister Mark Francois has said he is concerned military veterans will be "scapegoated" for actions which occurred during the Troubles.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood was critical of Mrs May’s remarks.

"It is unacceptable that four weeks after making the same incorrect comment, she has continued to peddle falsehoods in Parliament,” he said.

"The British Prime Minister has failed to grasp the sensitive issue that she is dealing with and her comments are both harmful and hurtful to victims and survivors. It is absolutely scandalous that Theresa May has chosen to ignore the facts and has instead blatantly chosen to let victims and survivors down.”

Sinn Féin’s victims and legacy spokeswoman Linda Dillon also slammed the comments.

“It is absolutely disgusting and deeply insensitive that Theresa May would repeat patently inaccurate claims that the only people being investigated over conflict-related deaths are British armed forces and police officers,” she said.

“The repetition of these remarks further compounds the hurt and offence felt by hundreds of families who have been bereaved by the British state forces.”

Relatives for Justice director Mark Thompson said “the only people actually convicted for legacy issues in recent years" are republicans and loyalists.

“The fact remains that the largest constituency of victims for whom there has been least accountability, that is prosecutions and actual convictions, are the hundreds of families who had loved killed by the British soldiers - and in respect to this we have a legacy of de facto impunity that now requires remedy,” he said.