Police in Northern Ireland yesterday announced the launching of a murder inquiry into the deaths of 13 people killed by paratroopers on Bloody Sunday in 1972. The investigation may take up to four years.
The news caused dismay in many quarters, since most had assumed that the long-running legal saga would be laid to rest following the lengthy report into the incident conducted by Lord Saville.
Police are less than enthusiastic about diverting resources into such a lengthy investigation. The Assistant Chief Constable, Drew Harris, said police needed to strike a balance between protecting life in the present day and the need to investigate historic crimes.
Thirteen people were shot dead when soldiers opened fire on marchers during a civil rights march in Londonderry on January 30, 1972. Two years ago soldiers were heavily criticised in the Saville report, which concluded that none of the casualties posed a threat or was involved in anything to justify being shot.
Accepting the report, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the action of troops had been "unjustified and unjustifiable". The tribunal, which took 12 years to report, collected 2500 written statements and heard evidence from almost a thousand witnesses, including many of the soldiers who opened fire in Londonderry.
