North's police chief plans talks with Finucane family

He said: "The murder should never have happened. There was a catalogue of failure which needs to be assessed to see if people should be held accountable."

The Chief Constable said the report findings were unequivocal and he accepted them fully. He also apologised to the Finucane family.

He said: “It is clear that the murder of Mr Finucane should never have happened. The report finds that a series of positive actions by employees of the state actively furthered and facilitated his murder and that, in the aftermath of the murder, there was a relentless attempt to defeat the ends of justice.

“For that I am deeply sorry and, on behalf of the Police Service, I offer a complete, absolute and unconditional apology to Mr Finucane’s wife, Geraldine, and family.

“I know that the vast majority of colleagues, both past and present, will share in my profound sadness and disappointment at how the Finucane family were so badly and abjectly failed.

“This failure has done a great disservice to the bravery and dedication of the many who joined the police to keep all communities safe throughout the awfulness of those difficult times.”

Mr Baggott said crime could not be prevented without the use of intelligence, but the PSNI now operated within a framework of independent scrutiny and regulation which was both rigorous and demanding.

He added: “We are determined to keep everybody safe and uphold their human rights.”