The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn MP, has responded to the Operation Kenova Final Report into the activities of an alleged agent known as ‘STEAK KNIFE’, which has been published by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
I want to begin by commending the Kenova team, led by Sir Iain Livingstone and Jon Boutcher, for the exemplary way they carried out their work, built trust with families, put victims first and provided many answers about what happened to their loved ones. Operation Turma, which was part of Kenova, resulted in the prosecution of an individual, now extradited from Ireland and awaiting trial, for the murder of three RUC officers in 1982.
Kenova has set a standard for future legacy investigations, and we have drawn on a number of those lessons in drafting the Troubles Bill.
I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to all the families who lost loved ones in the appalling circumstances described in this sobering report.
Operation Kenova was asked to establish whether there was evidence of criminal offences by the alleged agent known as STEAK KNIFE, or their alleged handlers.
The behaviour described of the alleged agent, and their role in the Provisional IRA, is deeply disturbing. It should not have happened, and in recent decades, there have been significant reforms to agent handling practice, including through legislation. The use of agents is nowadays subject to strict regulation, overseen by the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
On Operation Kenova’s request to the Government to name STEAK KNIFE, I told Sir Iain Livingstone in August that “Due to ongoing litigation relevant to the Neither Confirm Nor Deny [NCND] policy, namely the Thompson Supreme Court appeal, a substantive and final response to your request will be provided after judgment has issued in that case.
The Government’s first duty is of course to protect national security, and identifying agents risks jeopardising this.
Today’s Report also makes public the high-level findings of Operation Denton, which looked at killings carried out by the UVF Glennane Gang. The behaviour reported on, including collusion by individual members of the security forces, is shocking. The Government will respond to the full Denton Report when it is published, bearing in mind that there are related legal proceedings ongoing in this case and in the case of STEAK KNIFE.