Police chiefs praise new laws to solve legacy information issues

In a potentially groundbreaking development, new legislation could soon enable vital information sharing in unresolved legacy cases, including the 1972 Belturbet bombing and the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

At the 2026 Cross-Border Policing Conference in Cavan’s Farnham Estate hotel last Monday, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan announced the proposed legislation will undergo pre-legislative scrutiny by an Oireachtas Committee. He confirmed plans to publish the “general scheme” of the bill by May, with hopes it could be enacted “by the end of the year” at the latest.

“Both governments are committed to ensuring that legislation is put in place to ensure that Troubles-related killings can be investigated in order to try to provide some answers to families,” Minister O’Callaghan said, addressing questions directly posed by The Anglo-Celt.

The legislation, which mirrors a similar proposal in the UK, could pave the way for the PSNI and An Garda Síochána to access information previously restricted by legal and jurisdictional barriers.

PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who also spoke at the conference, reaffirmed his commitment to co-operation on legacy cases.

“I think it’s incumbent on all of us, on all of us, to make sure that your families get the information they deserve,” Mr Boutcher said.

“I’ve been very clear about new legislation that I think there are impediments in place about unfettered access to information. So we’re not there yet,” said Mr Boutcher, who previously discussed legacy issues around information sharing when the two policing bodies met in Cavan back in 2024.

If passed, the planned legislation could represent a watershed moment in the fight for transparency and accountability for victims of the border conflict, allowing for the sharing of sensitive details that have long been tightly guarded by both jurisdictions.

Minister O’Callaghan meanwhile acknowledged frustrations over the slow pace of information sharing. Last November, he raised the issue with British counterparts during the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, and revealed to the press in attendance in Cavan that he had spoken with Northern Ireland Secretary Hillary Benn in recent days.

“I had a meeting last week with Hillary Benn in respect of the legislation that has to be introduced and enacted in the House of Commons and indeed in the houses of the Oireachtas,” Minister O’Callaghan said. “I would like to see that legislation enacted by the end of this year. Obviously, I’m very much dependent on plan and how that legislation is enacted in the UK, because it has to mirror the UK legislation.”

The investigation into the Belturbet bombing, which killed two teenagers - Geraldine O’Reilly (15) from Staghall and Patrick Stanley (16) from Clara, Co Offaly - has made “significant progress”, according to Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly. The bombing, along with the Dublin-Monaghan attacks that killed 33 and injured nearly 300, remains one of the most tragic unresolved events of the border conflict.

Commissioner Kelly emphasised that gardaí have opened “new lines of inquiry” and are determined as ever to pursue justice.

“That work will continue. It’s difficult work, but we have to be meticulous. We have to do everything we can to try and get justice for these families,” he told the Celt.

This was Kelly’s first public address on the Belturbet case, and he assured the public that the investigation is being taken with the utmost seriousness.

“We will leave no stone unturned,” he added. “This is complex, and it’s not straightforward, but of course, we do everything we can from An Garda Síochána to make sure that we have everything we need to progress that. We have made progress in that investigation. We’ve had significant progress, opening a number of new lines of inquiry.”

Chief Constable Boutcher spoke candidly, emphasising the shared impact of atrocities committed across both sides of the Border.

“No one has a monopoly on legacy,” he said, concluding by reaffirming his personal commitment to supporting the ongoing investigative processes. “If An Garda Síochána require information from us, it will be provided.”