'As soon as the ball's dropped in legacy, the police get a kicking' Hamilton calls for independent units to examine issues of the past
Chief Constable George Hamilton has repeated calls for the setting up of independent legacy investigation units in Northern Ireland.
He was speaking yesterday after a special meeting with Policing Board members yesterday (Tuesday).
It comes after the PSNI was forced to apologise when it emerged critical documents relating to Troubles killings had not been disclosed.
The Ombudsman's long awaited reports into the Sean Graham bookmakers killings had to be delayed after the revelations.
Mr Hamilton is set to retire in the summer and says the only way to address the issue is to remove it from police.
"We get lots of tea and sympathy about legacy shouldn't rest with the police," he said. "But then as soon as the ball gets dropped in legacy, the police get a kicking.
"I do not think that's fair - I do not think that's right.
"And the only people who seem to be standing up and taking responsibility for something that has gone wrong where families deserve an apology is the police service."
Meanwhile, the chief constable accused Sinn Fein's president of poor leadership over her controversial comments about his potential successor.
George Hamilton branded Mary Lou McDonald's remarks “ill-judged, wrong and inaccurate'', claiming they ran directly contrary to Sinn Fein's professed advocacy of integrity, fairness and equality''.
Last week, Mrs McDonald said she would not have confidence in any current member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) senior command team replacing Mr Hamilton when he retires in the summer.
Mr Hamilton suggested Mrs McDonald had "contaminated'' and "interfered'' with the selection process.
The Sinn Fein leader's remarks came after she met bereaved families caught up in a controversy involving the PSNI's failure to disclose documents about historical killings to Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman.
"I think Mary Lou McDonald was wrong,'' said Mr Hamilton.
"I think she was inaccurate and I think it was an act of poor leadership and it has a very detrimental impact on policing and on the peace we are all trying to build.''
He added: "I think it's got us into an unfortunate pickle, it would be far better if wiser words, more measured words had been used and words that did not contaminate or interfere with the selection process.''
The PSNI's oversight body - the Northern Ireland Policing Board - is responsible for appointing the chief constable.
Ordinarily, a Sinn Fein appointee would be on a board panel - made up of party political and independent board members - that makes the decision.
That practice has been thrown into doubt following Mrs McDonald's remarks, raising the prospect of a panel without Sinn Fein representation, or without any political appointees at all.
During a meeting at Policing Board headquarters on Tuesday, the organisation's lawyers briefed members in private on their view on whether the comments had compromised the recruitment exercise.
Mr Hamilton also discussed the issue with board members, though he was not shown the legal advice.
Mrs McDonald has refused to apologise for, or retract, her comments.
When asked if she should say sorry, Mr Hamilton insisted that was a matter for her''.
"I don't anticipate for a second that we're going to get that,'' he said of an apology.
"But, more important than any offence she caused internally, whenever someone in leadership stands up and talks about the police being undemocratic, about being cynical, and about all the other very negative terms, how could we not be but surprised if there is a problem with confidence in policing.''
He added: "I think the comments were the antithesis of all Sinn Fein say they stand for.
They say they stand for equality, for fairness, for integrity and I can't think of anything further away from those qualities in what the party president said.''
Mr Hamilton continued: They were ill-judged words, she has to own them, it's not up to me to give account or explain or anything like that. I have been quite clear and quite robust on why I think the comments were wrong, why I think they were an antithesis of all she says she stands for around integrity, fairness and equality.''
The original comments came during a press conference in Belfast during which Mrs McDonald claimed the PSNI had zero credibility'' in its handling of cases linked to the legacy of the Troubles.
Mrs McDonald was asked if she had confidence in any of the current leadership team to replace Mr Hamilton.
"No I don't,'' she replied.
"The PSNI's credibility on matters pertaining to legacy is zero, I don't think that happened today or yesterday but I think certainly this turn of events has confirmed that.''
In response to a follow-up question on the same issue, the Sinn Fein leader added: Is there somebody inside who I think should be the chief constable, and I have to answer honestly that no, I can't identify such a person.
"`Lots of this is about who leads, who is in the top job in policing, but it goes much more broad than that. This is an issue of the culture of policing, it's about the systems and it's about their capacity to be and to be held fully accountable.'