A leading human rights group last night called on the British government to tackle mounting concerns over the police handling of Troubles murder investigations.
The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) said the ongoing debate over almost 2,000 unsolved paramilitary murders "can't be avoided". Yesterday the Irish News revealed that the Police Ombudsman is studying more than a dozen murder investigations from the early 1970s to late 1990s.
This is on top of several high-profile probes already carried out by Nuala O'Loan's office and a number nearing completion.
They do not include the investigations into the alleged security-force related murders of Portadown Catholic Robert Hamill in 1997 or solicitor Rosemary Nelson in 1999 – two of the six cases currently being examined by Canadian judge Peter Cory.
He will determine whether or not there should be public inquiries into the killings.
Observers believe that the Ombudsman's office could uncover further damning police failures and intentional wrongdoing by officers.
Mrs O'Loan's critique into the RUC's handling of the original Omagh bomb probe sparked a review of how the force dealt with murder investigations.
The unpublished Blakey report listed a series of recommendations currently being implemented by the Chief Constable.
A major police review of unsolved paramilitary killings, both past and present, has already been beset by problems with the loss of files relating to old cases.
Martin O'Brien of CAJ said there was "an obligation on the state to adequately investigate all deaths".
