Background
The Historical Enquiries Team is unique in policing and its work is unprecedented. It is a special investigative unit attached to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to re-examine the deaths of thousands of people in the civil unrest in Northern Ireland between 1968 and the signing of the Belfast Agreement in April 1998. It is an independent unit which answers directly to the Chief Constable. The scope and scale of its work is exceptional with more than 2,500 cases spanning three decades.
The recent violent past in Northern Ireland is one of the most difficult periods of our history which has left many unanswered questions for bereaved families. The HET works to provide as many answers as possible for families seeking information about their loved ones. It also hopes to identify new evidential opportunities especially where cases remain unresolved.
The HET recognises that the death of a loved one, no matter how long ago, is not an historical event but an ever present source of trauma and upset. It hopes that its reviews and investigations may offer families some measure of resolution.
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