Matt Baggott is to step down early as Chief Constable of the PSNI and has used his final appearance before the Policing Board to appeal for a fresh approach to dealing with Northern Ireland’s past.

Following the appointment of George Hamilton as the incoming head of the police service, Mr Baggott announced to the board in Belfast he will leave his post at the end of June after nearly five years.

He has led the PSNI through some turbulent times, not least devolution of policing and justice powers from London to the new Stormont Department of Justice. He has also contended with the flags protests, the dissident threat and problems associated with legacy issues from the Troubles.

In a statement to the board, Mr Baggott described problems with dealing with Northern Ireland’s past as “debilitating and toxic to confidence”.

“I have overseen personally the aftermath of four public inquiries, on-the-runs, the Historical Enquiries Team [HET] which started as a precursor to a broader solution with political support, but itself has become controversial,” he said. “Every historical arrest made under the law is a crisis and politicised.”

He pointed out to Policing Board members that investigations of unsolved murders from the Troubles continue to be “blocked” at Coroner’s level and warned: “It will take decades to resolve, even with some uplift in PSNI resources.

“It is time to deal with the past in a different way, which does not ignore it but moves it to one side and puts leadership, investigation and resolution in different, independent hands,” he said.

“It may be a false comparison, and by no means wanting to diminish the enormity of tragedy and hurt, the banking system dealt with toxic debts by dealing with them in a different way that freed up today’s banks to improve confidence. We need similar creativity and urgently.

“The past must be separated, with respect, from the present.”