Lawyers pocket £18m from Troubles cases while victims get just £7m
Northern Ireland police forced to divert cash for 400 officers to pay 'eye-watering' legal bills from historical cases
Lawyers pocket £17.7m while Troubles victims receive just £7.3m in Northern Ireland police payouts
Northern Ireland's police force is being forced to spend millions on legacy cases from The Troubles — with lawyers pocketing more than twice what victims receive in compensation.
The staggering costs are equivalent to hiring 400 police officers, PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher (pictured) told MPs investigating how the Government is addressing the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland.
Despite new laws meant to help handle investigations into Troubles-related deaths and serious injuries, the police force's financial burden is actually worsening.
When policing powers were devolved to Stormont there was no agreement over how legacy investigations would be funded within the police.
The force spends a whopping £5.3 million yearly on its legacy investigation branch alone, Boutcher revealed. On top of this, ongoing civil cases drain another £3 million annually from police coffers.
In just six years, the force has handled 30 major civil cases, with an eye-watering total payout of £25 million. Eeven more disturbing, Boutcher disclosed that lawyers claimed £17.7 million of this sum, while victims received only £7.3 million.
“This is public money that the PSNI is not funded for,' Boutcher stressed. 'It's taking money directly from today's policing needs.”
Lawyers are circling
The complex process of handling historical cases has created a 'green-field site' for lawyers, according to the Chief Constable, while stretching police resources to breaking point.
“Every pound spent on these cases is a pound taken away from fighting crime today,” Boutcher warned MPs.
The total annual bill for dealing with legacy issues has now reached £20 million — money that could put 400 more officers on Northern Ireland's streets.
“This legacy issue is like a millstone around our necks,” Boutcher told MPs. “Victims' families blame us for delays, but we're dealing with issues we were never meant to handle.”
Police chiefs are desperately seeking help from the Secretary of State and Stormont Executive to tackle the mounting crisis.
Caims are mounting
Detective Chief Superintendent Claire McGuigan disclosed that legacy cases have cost the force an astronomical £126 million over seven years.
“We've had to find this money from our own budgets,” she explained, noting that only inquest funding has come from the Department of Justice.
The force faces a staggering 1,100 civil claims with no end in sight — and no money to settle them. McGuigan warned that the new Legacy Act hasn't stopped the flood of cases.
“We're caught between a rock and a hard place,” McGuigan said. “The community thinks we're stalling, but we simply don't have the resources to move faster.”
To make matters worse, new statutory obligations under the Legacy Act could add another £5 million to the already crippling annual bill — forcing even more cuts to frontline policing.