Historical Enquiries Team

synonyms: Historical Inquiries Team The Historical Enquiries Team - a unit within the Police Service of Norhern Ireland (PSNI) - was established to re-examine the unresolved deaths related to the conflict in Northern Ireland between 1968 and 1998. Although the HET had been formed in September 2005 it was formally launched by Peter Hain, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 20 January 2006. David Cox, formerly a commander in the London Metropolitan Police, was the first head of the HET which was comprised of 84 investigators and supporting staff, and had a budget of £30 million. It was anticipated that detectives would reopen the files on 3,268 cases and would attempt to achieve the "best resolution" for victims' families, including possible prosecutions. It was expected that the HET would be in existence for five years. HET reports are given to victims' families who decide what to do with them. In 2008 Professor Patricia Lundy (University of Ulster) raised the issue of the HET's different approach to reviewing cases of killings by the British Army. Her concerns were reject by the PSNI at the time. In 2012 Professor Lundy published a briefing report on the same issue. The matter was referred to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) which published a report on 3 July 2013 that was critical of the HET's approach. On 4 July 2013 the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB) said it had no confidence in the leadership of the HET. Following the criticism, and restructuring within the PSNI, the HET was wound up in September 2014. It was replaced by a much smaller unit, the Legacy Investigations Branch, working within the PSNI (Source: Belfast Telegraph article). Publications about the HET: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). (2013). Inspection of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Historical Enquiries Team, (3 July 2013), . London: HMIC. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). (2013). Press Release about the report on the Inspection of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Historical Enquiries Team, (3 July 2013). London: HMIC.< Web page; accessed 5 July 2013 >. Lundy, Patricia. (2012). Research Brief: Assessment of the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) Review Processes and Procedures in Royal Military Police (RMP) Investigation Cases, (2 April 2012), . pp.12. Jordanstown: University of Ulster. ...