11 March 2005
The government announced two initiatives on March 9 to help heal the legacy of the Northern Ireland Troubles.
Some £32m has been allocated to the Police Service of Northern Ireland to create a new Review Unit to re-examine 1,800 unsolved murders between 1969 and 1998.
The unit will be led by Dave Cox, a recently retired Commander of the Metropolitan Police, and will be staffed by serving and retired officers from Britain and the PSNI. It will be backed by a dedicated team in Forensic Science Northern Ireland.
On the same day, in a parallel move, it was announced that a Victims' and Survivors' Commissioner for Northern Ireland is to be appointed. The commissioner will also establish a forum as part of a package of measures to improve support services for victims and survivors.
Victims' minister Angela Smith said: 'The proposals are designed to place greater emphasis on joint planning between statutory and voluntary agencies, victims and survivors' groups and others as a means of building trust.'
PFmar2005
