Historical Enquiries Team facts for kids
The Historical Enquiries Team (HET) was a special police unit. It was part of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). This team started in September 2005. Its main job was to look into 3,269 unsolved murders. These killings happened during a difficult time called the Troubles, between 1968 and 1998. The HET closed down in September 2014. This happened because the PSNI changed its structure after budget cuts.
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What Were the HET's Main Goals?
The Historical Enquiries Team had three important aims:
- To work closely with the families of those who had been killed.
- To make sure that old cases were investigated using modern police methods.
- To do their work in a way that everyone in the community could trust the results.
Working with families was very important to the HET. They had a special process to connect with families. The HET promised to give each family a copy of the report about their loved one's case.
The team was led by Commander David Cox. He used to work for the London Metropolitan Police. The HET had about 100 investigators and support staff. They also had a budget of £30 million.
The HET was divided into two main groups. One was the Review team. Its officers came from outside Northern Ireland. The other was the Investigation team. Its members were hired locally.
The team hoped to finish its work by 2011. However, the investigators realized they needed more time. They worked through the cases mostly in the order they happened.
Key Findings from HET Investigations
The HET looked into many difficult killings from the Troubles. Here are some of their important findings:
Terry Herdman's Death (1973)
The HET investigated the killing of Terry Herdman, who was 17. He was killed by the IRA. They thought he was giving information to the army or police. The HET found that Terry Herdman did not knowingly betray any IRA secrets.
Miami Showband Killings (1975)
This was an attack on a music band's minibus. The HET report confirmed that Robin Jackson, a leader of the UVF, was involved. The report also said he was secretly working for the RUC Special Branch. The HET stated that these killings raised "disturbing questions." These questions were about secret cooperation between loyalist groups and British state forces.
Kingsmill Massacre (1976)
This was an ambush on a minibus carrying civilians. The HET report said the South Armagh Republican Action Force (SARAF) carried out this attack. This group included members of the Provisional IRA, even though they were supposed to be on a ceasefire. The HET found that the 10 men killed were targeted because they were Protestants. Their murder was a response to other killings that happened the night before.
Aidan McAnespie Shooting (1988)
Aidan McAnespie was shot and killed by a British soldier. The soldier claimed his wet hands caused his gun to fire by accident. The HET report called this explanation the "least likely version" of what happened.
Damien Walsh's Murder (1993)
Damien Walsh, 17, was killed while working. The HET reported that undercover British soldiers were watching. They saw UFF loyalists murder the Catholic teenager. However, the soldiers were too far away to stop the attack.
William McGreanery's Death (1971)
William McGreanery was shot by a British soldier in Derry. The HET investigated his death. They found that he was not carrying a weapon. He also did not pose any threat to the soldiers. This was different from earlier claims.
Majella O'Hare Shooting (1976)
Majella O'Hare was a young girl. She was on her way to church when she was shot in the back. A HET report supported an earlier police investigation. It found that the British soldier who shot her was not returning fire, as he had claimed.
Reavey Brothers' Murders (1976)
The HET looked into the loyalist murders of three Catholic brothers. They were John Martin, Brian, and Anthony Reavey. They were shot in their home. The HET report cleared them and their family of any links to paramilitary groups.
Sean Graham Bookmakers' Shooting (1992)
Five Catholic civilians were killed in this attack. The UDA carried out the shooting. The HET report confirmed that one of the guns used by the UDA had been returned to them by RUC officers before the attack.
Report on the HET's Work
In 2013, a report looked into how the HET was doing its job. This report was from the UK's Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. It found that the HET was not reviewing all historical cases in the same way. It also said that some cases involving deaths caused by police or military members were reviewed "with less rigour" than other cases.
