Boutcher confirmed as PSNI's new interim chief constable

Jon Boutcher, the former police chief of Bedfordshire, has been confirmed as the interim chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Mr Boutcher has recently been conducting an investigation into the activities of Stakeknife, the Army's top agent in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

The PSNI vacancy arose following the resignation of Simon Byrne following a number of controversies.

As he was unveiled in the role on Thursday afternoon, Mr Boutcher said recent controversies in policing in Northern Ireland had been "distracting and frustrating" for all.

"Having worked in Northern Ireland for a number of years now, I am aware of the challenges the organisation faces and how distracting and frustrating recent events have been for everybody.

"The PSNI needs a period of stability and to simply be allowed to get on with doing the job they do best, which is policing.

"The staff should know they have my full support in doing that.

"Northern Ireland is a unique operating environment for policing in the United Kingdom and everybody should be immensely proud of the PSNI and the commitment, professionalism and the bravery of its staff."

Mr Boutcher will step down from the investigation into the activities of Stakeknife, the Army's top agent in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

He said: "Regarding Operation Kenova, I have made a commitment to the families and that undertaking remains as firm today as when I first made it.

"In advance of agreeing this role, I secured an agreement with the recently retired chief constable of Police Scotland Sir Iain Livingstone to step into my position as the interim officer in overall command of Operation Kenova.

"Sir Iain has been involved in Kenova since its very beginning as a member of the independent steering group and then chair of the Kenova governance board.

"He will step down from those positions when he takes over as the officer in overall command.

"He and the Kenova team will ensure the remaining work continues uninterrupted whilst I am in this interim role and that work will have, as all the families know, my unwavering support.

"I am delighted to announce that the Kenova Report has passed through the final phase of the legal protocol to get it published.

"This protocol provides the legal framework that ensures the integrity, independence and legal due diligence of that report.

"In accordance with that protocol, the report cannot now be changed, it is finalised for publication and it has been passed to the PSNI for that process to take place.

"The report will now go through the governance structures in place within the PSNI to allow that to happen.

"For propriety reasons and to protect the report's independence, I will recuse myself from that process and I will quite properly be doing that.

"I would expect the logistics of arranging publication to take a number of weeks."

Speaking about the interim appointment, Policing Board chairwoman Deirdre Toner said: "The appointment of Jon Boutcher as interim chief constable will bring stability to the leadership of the PSNI and the service executive team until the substantive appointment chief constable process has been completed.

"The board looks forward to working with Mr Boutcher and the wider service executive team as we progress the issues and pressures currently facing policing."