Today, the report of the McCullough Review, an independent review of the conduct of the Police Service of Northern Ireland relating to covert measures against journalists, lawyers and others of ‘special status’ from 2011 – 2024, was published here.
The Review was commissioned by the Chief Constable of Northern Ireland, Jon Boutcher QPM, in June 2024 who appointed Angus McCullough KC, assisted by Matthew Hill and Rajkiran Arhestey, to conduct the Review. The Review was triggered by concerns generated by disclosure in Investigatory Powers Tribunal proceedings brought by Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey, two journalists who were arrested by PSNI in 2018.
Over the past year, the Review team have had unprecedented access to PSNI systems and records, with the ability to search PSNI systems anonymously, unsupervised and with no limitations. They have also engaged with a range of journalists, lawyers, police officers, and other stakeholders and had the assistance of a Group of Experts and Stakeholders, who have brought a wealth of experience in human rights, legal practice, journalism as well as oversight of policing in Northern Ireland.
The Review’s findings are summarised in the Overview to the 200-page report, accessible in the opening pages of the report. The Review ultimately made 16 recommendations to the PSNI.
The Review has been reported on by the BBC, The Independent, RTE, UTV, the Irish News, the Belfast Telegraph and News Letter.
