Jon Boutcher to be appointed as interim PSNI chief constable

Jon Boutcher to be appointed as interim PSNI chief constable

Jon Boutcher

Jon Boutcher, the former Bedfordshire Police chief constable leading Operation Kenova, is to be appointed as interim chief constable of the PSNI, according to reports.

Mr Boutcher is the head of the long-running investigation into the alleged activities of the Provisional IRA informer codenamed “Stakeknife”, which is expected to soon publish its interim report.

According to BBC News NI, he has been picked to fill the vacancy created by Simon Byrne’s resignation last month but an agreement has not yet been finalised.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board, said the appointment “is now subject to due diligence checks and ministerial approval”.

The Police Federation of Northern Ireland has welcomed Mr Boutcher’s appointment, while warning he “will have a mountain to climb because it will be challenging”.

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