A special police unit set up in the North is to start examining the first batch of unsolved murder cases committed during the troubles.
Mr Dave Cox, who is heading the Historical Enquiries Team, said his officers would reopen the files on 3,268 cases during the Troubles and would try and achieve the best resolution for victims' families.
Some 100 officers and support staff will participate and a budget of some £30 million has been allocated to the review which will start work on Monday.
The team will examine deaths at the hands of the security forces as well as at the hands of loyalist and republican paramilitaries.
Families of victims will be consulted by the team on whether they want to proceed with the prosecutions or if there can be any other form of resolution.
Retired police officers formerly in the Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) will be involved as well as a mixture of retired and seconded officers from English, Scottish and Welsh forces.
A helpdesk will be operational at the team's Sprucefield headquarters outside Lisburn for families.
Mr Cox, a former retired Metropolitan Police commander, said: "I do not for a moment underestimate the complexity of this challenge or the potential emotional stress for relatives associated with revisiting these tragic events.
"That is why families will sit at the very heart of our investigations and that is why our primary objective will be to work with them to achieve some measure of resolution for them."