Angus McCullough KC, the independent reviewer appointed by the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to examine conduct by PSNI has issued a Progress Report: https://www.mcculloughreview.org/news/mccullough-review-progress-report in relation to the work of the Review that he is conducting into the conduct of the PSNI arising from concerns raised in relation to surveillance of journalists, lawyers and other groups.
In December this web site reported that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) in London ruled police officers acted illegally by spying on journalists and NUJ members Trevor Birney and his colleague Barry McCaffrey, in a bid to identify their sources see ‘Investigative journalists illegally spied on’. The pair were first arrested in 2018 after they produced No Stone Unturned, a film about the 1994 Loughinisland killings. The film exposed alleged collusion between police and loyalist gunmen who murdered six Roman Catholic men as they watched a World Cup football match in a local pub in the village.
In a report to the policing board in 2024 the PSNI admitted making 823 applications for communications data for journalists and lawyers over a 13-year period from 2011-2024.
Mr McCullough confirmed that his review has received “about 50 responses from a wide variety of individuals and on behalf of two organisations”. Approximately 80 percent of responses have been from journalists and lawyers. A “small number of responses”, around five, “relate largely or entirely to matters outside” his terms of reference.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is represented on the expert and stakeholders group set up to advise Mr McCullough. The group is not involved in the day to day investigative process. Séamus Dooley, NUJ assistant general secretary, welcomed Mr McCullough’s confirmation that PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, “has been proactive in ensuring that we have and unrestricted access to PSNI personnel and materials”. He said: “The McCullough Review is a work in progress. It is an independent process and is being given a fair wind. It is a significant initiative and the NUJ acknowledges the commitment of Mr McCullough and his team.”
In early March Mr McCullough will indicate to the Chief Constable a timetable for reporting to him, on the basis of the stage that he have reached by then. In a statement accompanying the review he announced that: “I will publish that further update on this website. I am conscious of the need to publish findings and associated recommendations as soon as possible, consistently with having conducted a thorough review enabling reliable findings to be reached. As highlighted above, whilst there are ongoing IPT proceedings considering complaints that would otherwise be relevant to my review, I currently consider that these should not prevent me from producing at least an interim report that makes findings and recommendations on central issues of concern – even before all of those IPT proceedings have necessarily been concluded.”