Only a full public inquiry will uncover the scale of the PSNI’s surveillance of journalists, it has been warned after the announcement of a new independent review into the snooping scandal.
PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has announced a review by a senior barrister following allegations brought to light during an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) hearing in London.
It comes as justice minister Naomi Long faces a fresh demand on Tuesday to establish an independent inquiry to uncover the full scale of the surveillance.
The IPT hearing last month examined allegations that investigative reporters Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney were subject to unlawful covert intelligence.
It was claimed police were using surveillance powers against several journalists in the north that had been deemed “troublemakers”, and their phone data was being trawled every six months to establish if they had been in contact with police sources.
On Monday, Mr Boutcher announced London barrister Angus McCullough KC will conduct an independent review of any PSNI use of surveillance against journalists, lawyers and non-governmental organisations.
The review is to be supported by a group of experts and stakeholders including former police ombudsman Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Amnesty International’s Patrick Corrigan, and Daniel Holder, director of the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ).
Mr Boutcher said there had been an “inaccurate interpretation” of documents disclosed in the IPT hearing.
He also said a list of eight redacted names referred to are not journalists under surveillance, and “relate to a completely different matter”.
The chief constable said the McCullough Review will provide “further reassurance”.
“His role will not extend to anything that is currently within the scope of the IPT proceedings,” Mr Boutcher added.
In a statement following the announcement, Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney said they “take comfort from the integrity” of the stakeholders supporting the review, and said Mr McCullough is a “very experienced KC with significant expertise in the area of surveillance and intelligence gathering”.
However, they have backed a public inquiry, insisting that “sunlight is the best disinfectant”.
“We reiterative our call on the Policing Board to meet its full statutory responsibilities and not allow the chief constable to pick the referee and set the rules of the game,” they said.
“Only a full public inquiry with the power to compel witnesses will enable us to find out the full, ugly truth of what the PSNI has been doing in the dark.”
Amnesty International’s NI director Patrick Corrigan said the review was an “important step towards full disclosure”.
“However, we are also clear that this review cannot fulfil the same role as a statutory inquiry,” he said.
