Belfast lawyer Niall Murphy, partner at KRW LAW LLP, has accused the force of acting like “East German secret police in the early 1980s” following revelations in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT).

The tribunal was hearing a case brought by Northern Ireland journalists Trevor Birney and Barry McCaffrey to establish whether they were subject to police surveillance.

The Northern Ireland Policing Board said its chair and vice-chair met with the PSNI’s chief constable yesterday and “impressed upon him the damage that is being done to public confidence in policing as a result of the revelations”.

“The chief constable has confirmed that the Board will be provided at its June meeting with a report on the extent of the surveillance of legal professionals and journalists, and that this will be made public,” the Board added.

“Our human rights advisor will also have full access to all the material that informs the report in order to provide assurance on legal compliance.”

The Board continued: “The chief constable shares our concerns and has advised that he intends to develop an additional review mechanism to examine and address the issues raised.

“Today’s meeting was constructive, and we welcome the continued commitment of the chief constable to openness and transparency.”