Security forces' widows 'often discouraged' from claiming compensation, report finds

Families of police officers and soldiers killed during the Troubles were poorly compensated and “often discouraged” from claiming compensation at all, according to a new report from Queen’s University (QUB).

The report states that compensation for all victims paid during the period 1966-1976 was “unequal and inadequate,” with more than one-third of the cases examined attracting payments of less than £1,500.

The research team was led by Professor Luke Moffett and Dr Kevin Hearty from the QUB School of Law.

For those bereaved victims who were not financially dependent on the income of their loved one, the law at the time only provided enough to cover expenses such as funeral costs.

The law was subsequently amended to improve the situation, however, it was not until 2002 that a bereavement payment was established in respect of all those killed as a result of crime.

Commenting on the experiences of security forces’ families, the report says: “While generally the families of civilians who were killed were unlikely to have access to a work pension unlike those in the security forces, widows of killed soldiers and police officers were often discouraged from claiming or withdrew their claims.”

The report also states that women were “routinely discriminated against and devalued” and that payments were used in several killings by the security forces to settle with victims and avoid cases going before the European Court of Human Rights.

The researchers have proposed a bereaved payment scheme, to complement the current one for seriously injured victims of the Troubles through the Victims Payment Board.

Prof Moffett said: “Compensation for those killed during the Troubles was not fit for purpose. It belittled the loss and suffering of many victims, rubbing salt into the wounds of grieving families. Many families were paid a pittance for the death of their loved one.”

He added: “With the legacy bill becoming law last week, victims’ legal avenues to seek redress through the courts have now been terminated.”

Victims’ Commissioner Ian Jeffers said: “This report highlights some key issues that really need to be addressed in terms of how we have – or more to the point, have not – looked after bereaved victims of the Troubles.

“It’s an area that my office is looking at very closely at the moment.”