PSNI call for civil cases against paramilitaries

The North’s Police Federation has called on the British government to fund civil actions against paramilitaries who cannot be convicted in the criminal courts due to lack of evidence.

Speaking at the federation’s annual conference, chairman Irwin Montgomery said the police have always had to acknowledge that the evidence they gather is not strong enough to prove a case "beyond all reasonable doubt".

However, he said the same evidence could be used to secure damages in civil cases, where the burden of proof is less stringent.

The British government has already agreed to provide £800,000 (€1.2m) to help fund a civil action being taken by relatives of the Omagh bomb victims against five men they accuse of involvement in the 1990 bomb attack.