The British government is set to provide up to £30 million today to allow police to review unsolved murders in Northern Ireland.
Nearly 2,000 deaths during 30 years of violence remain unsolved and the government will announce funding spread over a number of years, according to sources.
PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde is expected to announce that detectives from elsewhere in the United Kingdom will be brought in to help with the review.
The Police Federation of Northern Ireland welcomed the move. It has been pressing for a review of cold cases for years, particularly of the murders of more than 200 police officers which remain unsolved.
Federation chairman Irwin Montgomery said a review was long overdue and would help families of victims to reach closure.
"Obviously, my interest is in the 211 unsolved police murders particularly. But for all the 1,800 unsolved murders in Northern Ireland, hopefully this will bring closure for a number of families," he said.
He warned families not to expect prosecutions and convictions from the reviews. Some murders go back over 30 years, evidence has been lost and detectives who investigated them are no longer alive, he said.
But Mr Montgomery said new techniques such as DNA are now available and could be used in some cases.
PA