It comes after the publication of the McCullough Review, and the admissions in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal. The review highlighted 21 instances of authorised unlawful surveillance involving nine investigations, including the direct surveillance of two lawyers, at some points conducted inside actual court buildings.
Ms McAllister has said: “Freedom of the press and a right to privacy are pillars of any democratic society. These are civil liberties that should never be infringed upon.
“Candour and transparency should always be forthcoming from police. Whilst this report is by no means a clean bill of health for the PSNI, and it is regretful that it took an outside individual to carry out a proper review to get to the bottom of some of some key issues in our police service, today is an important step in terms of holding those responsible to account.
“It has been clear since last weeks admissions that we now need a full public inquiry, driven by the Secretary of State, in order to properly investigate the role of MI5 and British state security forces in the unlawful surveillance of journalists. The UK Government has a crucial part to play in ensuring full accountability is delivered for all those impacted.
“There is now a job of work to be done by the Secretary of State and the UK Government, the Policing Board, and by the PSNI itself to ensure that this sort of misconduct is never repeated in the future. Myself and my party are committed to doing all that is necessary to guarantee the further investigations that are needed are robust and deliver tangible change in how these bodies operate in the future.”