On the announcement of the Legacy Commission, Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I very much welcome any progress on legacy and especially if it results in a framework people can finally trust and provides victims with the information that they have been craving. As with many others who are determined to achieve a legacy process that works for victims, I will carefully read the full framework and consider its contents.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland fully acknowledges the hurt and suffering felt by families of those murdered during the Troubles. I know all too well that past failures to address legacy has resulted in transgenerational trauma and significant damage in public trust and confidence towards the police. We must never forget the loss each of these families have suffered. They have been waiting far too long for the authorities to get this right. I hope this is the framework that will do that.

“Any plans must include funding for getting information quickly from those bodies that hold it. Currently, legacy investigations cost our organisation £24million a year. This cost has included the additional demand of servicing requests from the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for which we receive no additional funding despite highlighting this additional pressure on frequent occasions. We are not funded for all aspects of legacy costs and each day the PSNI buckles a little more as we desperately try to manage the unique challenges of policing a post-conflict society with wholly inadequate funding. The supply of information to a reformed Legacy Commission will require resources in the PSNI and our funding is critical for the success of any new Commission.

“The cost of dealing with legacy comes out of our core budget which should be spent on policing Northern Ireland today. It is not right that we have to use that budget for legacy. That money should be providing police officers in our Neighbourhood and Response Teams, it should be paying for detectives to investigate and solve crimes.

“Therefore for this revised Commission to work, the planning must include additional funding for policing. The PSNI not being funded for legacy has had a direct and detrimental impact on the trust and confidence of communities in policing. We need to have a whole systems approach to getting this right including the work required within the PSNI for the Commission to get the information it needs.”