The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has formally acknowledged and fully accepted the findings of the Police Ombudsman's investigation into the Alexander McCartney case.

The service issued an apology, stating its thoughts are with the victims and their families, and expressing deep sorrow for the profound and lasting harm caused by McCartney's crimes.

The PSNI noted the Ombudsman's conclusion that the challenges stemmed from systemic resource pressures and capacity constraints within specialist teams at the time, rather than individual officer misconduct.

Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck, Crime Department, stated: "We acknowledge the serious concerns raised by the Police Ombudsman and accept that, at the time, our systems and resources were not where they needed to be.

"The service simply did not have the capacity to deliver the level of responsiveness that victims and families rightly expect."

The PSNI acknowledged that the exponential rise in demand on the Child Internet Protection Team (CIPT) and Cybercrime Centre resulted in "unacceptable delays" in digital forensic analysis, investigative progression, and the management of bail conditions. In response, the PSNI has outlined several steps taken since the time of the investigation to improve capacity and capability:

• Risk-Based Portal: The Cyber Crime Centre introduced a new submissions portal using the THRIVE risk model to help investigating officers prioritise device examinations based on increased risk factors.

• Gatekeeping Team: A new 'gatekeeping' team is being established as part of a longer-term transformation project to specifically process all submissions and identify priorities.

• New Technology: New hardware and software have been employed to significantly speed up the process of identifying indecent images of children on seized devices.

However, the PSNI stressed that the resourcing position today is "even more challenging" due to growing demand across public protection and cybercrime alongside ongoing financial constraints. The PSNI Chief Constable has maintained that sustained investment is essential to keep pace with demand and maintain public confidence.

ACC Beck concluded: "We have listened, we have learned, and we are acting... but meaningful and sustained investment in policing is key to achieving lasting positive change and ensuring we can continue to protect children effectively in the online world."