Sir Ronnie Flanagan has admitted that errors were made in the police investigation of the Omagh bomb but he has insisted those responsible for the explosion can still be caught.
The Chief Constable was speaking at a press conference in Omagh yesterday, following his meeting with the victims' families.
He expressed disappointment that he had failed to convince relatives his officers had done everything possible to bring the "Real IRA" bombers to justice.
He said he had visited Omagh immediately after the explosion on August 15th, 1998, and had been deeply moved. "In terms of the circle of victims who have been so directly affected by this atrocity, I doubt if you would find anyone outside this circle who cares more about this than I do or who has been affected more than I have . . . I am desperately sorry we have not yet brought to justice those who are responsible."
He said the relatives had been "incredibly courteous and incredibly patient" during the meeting.
While he was disappointed by their critical reaction to his explanation of police actions, he was in some ways not surprised. "I have to say that if I had been through what the victims have been through, I don't know if I would be reassured," he said.
The meeting was not about defending the reputation of either himself or the RUC, but about providing victims and their relatives with information. He would do "all humanly possible" to bring the bombers to justice.
Responding to how the dispute would impact on his reputation, he said: "I am not interested in those things. I can look them [the relatives\] in the eye and say, 'I did my best'. I will deeply regret if no-one is brought to justice but I have confidence that will still happen". Detectives had identified the individuals involved in the bomb attack - most had already been arrested and interrogated - they simply needed to convert "knowledge into evidence". He acknowledged the police investigation had not been flawless.
"Of course there were mistakes made. Of course there were errors. Of course there were things we could have done better," he said.
However, he denied this had led to "any diminution in the prospects of bringing people to justice".
He strongly rejected Mrs Nuala O'Loan's criticisms and said the police force was entitled to fair and just treatment from her office.
But he did not accept that the public argument between them had irreparably damaged their working relationship. "We can ring-fence this," he said.