The chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has told a human rights conference in Belfast that the “vast majority of cases” relating to the Troubles will not go to trial.

Chief Constable George Hamilton, speaking at a conference hosted by the Human Rights Consortium yesterday, said the PSNI would focus its limited resources on cases which have the “greatest potential to bring offenders to justice”.

Mr Hamilton said: “The very cold reality is that criminal proceedings are increasingly unlikely in the vast majority of cases. While some cases will lend themselves to further progress through the judicial system, with forensic science providing the greatest chances of success, these cases are likely to be very few in number.

“I know this is difficult for many people to hear. But I would rather be honest than compound the hurt of so many people who have suffered so much.”

He was speaking more widely at the conference about the application of the Human Rights Act on policing in Northern Ireland.

He tackled the issue of human rights in an age of austerity, saying human rights “will guide our resourcing decisions” but “do not exempt me for my budget responsibilities”.

However, he said the “basic principle of policing is protecting human rights and human rights are an enabler of effective policing”.

Mr Hamilton concluded his speech: “I have no doubt that PSNI and the community we serve have benefitted tremendously as a result of the embodiment of human rights within policing.

“As I said earlier, nothing worth doing is ever easy. Operationalising human rights requires constant effort; it is a job that is never truly complete; and therefore something to which we will never reduce our efforts.”

His full address is available on the PSNI website.