The newly instated Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Jon Boutcher, boasts a decorated career in law enforcement, including his former incarnation as the principal investigator of Operation Kenova. This independent examination focussed on the deeds of Stakeknife, the top informant of the British army during the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Starting in 2016, up to October 2023, Mr. Boutcher directed Operation Kenova and related inquiries, including the investigation of alleged police involvement in the Glenanne murders credited to Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group. His leadership of this project earned him commendations for a victim-care approach that displayed a capacity to make headway in the face of the UK government’s Legacy Act, viewed controversially as granting amnesty to suspected Troubles culprits despite enduring concerns about elapsed time.
In his transformation into PSNI’s Chief Constable, Mr. Boutcher dismissed apprehensions about a potential clash with his former Kenova role, assuring that the relevant precautions had been implemented with zero objections from victims’ families about conflicts of interest.
Mr. Boutcher, an esteemed figure among UK police officers with over 30 years in the industry, spent the bulk of his tenure in the Metropolitan Police and once served as Bedfordshire police’s chief constable. His impressive credentials include a stint leading the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad combatting major crime, such as armed robberies, along with considerable counter-terrorism expertise and the successful execution of extensive national security missions.
His resume also includes spearheading the probe into war atrocities by Afghan warlord Sarwar “Faryadi” Zardad – subsequently imprisoned for life for civilian abuse – and the Operation Rhyme probe that tracked down a group of British men intending to perpetrate mass casualty offensives in the United States, as well as chemical, biological, and makeshift bomb attacks in the UK.
The group’s mastermind, Dhiren Barot, was given an 80-year sentence and identified as the most notable al Qaeda detainee in Britain. Boutcher was also implicated in locating the culprits of a failed July 21, 2005 terrorist assault on London’s public transport infrastructure and the investigative response to the 2007 terror attack on Glasgow airport.
Despite his unsuccessful bid for the Metropolitan Police commissioner position in 2022 after Cressida Dick stepped down, and losing the Northern Ireland Chief Constable position to Simon Byrne in 2019, Mr Boutcher found himself assuming the role of interim chief constable in October 2023. This came about after Simon Byrne’s exit, and officially, in November 2023, he assumed the position fully.
Mr. Boutcher emphasized that while he had transitioned from Kenova, it gave him immense pleasure to have led its investigation. He pointed out that although his role had now changed, he was still fully committed to supporting victims and their families and would ensure they were enlightened with the truth.
He further mentioned that he would keep an eye on the progress at Kenova, considering its imprint on him, and its significance in Northern Ireland’s history.
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