A former chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has said the decision to wind up the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) was a “mistake”.

Sir Hugh Orde, who oversaw the creation of the team during his tenure between 2002-09, told PoliceOracle.com that Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s (HMIC) “destruction of that unit was a massive mistake in my judgement”.

He added: “It was short sighted.”

The HET was set up as a unit within the PSNI in September 2005 and later closed in September 2014, when budget cuts forced major reforms to PSNI structures and resourcing.

A major contributor to the decision was a 2013 HMIC report which said the HET did not apply consistent standards to its investigations.

It was accused of applying “less rigour” to cases involving potential state involvement or collusion with police and security services.

Sir Orde said the current two-week review of 56 legacy cases by Lord Justice Weir, the presiding judge of the Coroners’ Court, could have been easier if the HET still existed.

He made the remarks in response to comments by Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris, who said it was “almost impossible” to put a timeframe on the completion of the PSNI’s disclosure process.

The delay in some inquests has been blamed on backlogs in the process of disclosing classified material.