PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has said it is highly unlikely anyone will be convicted for the Omagh bombing unless those who know who did it are prepared to stand up in court and identify them.
Yesterday, Sean Hoey was cleared of 58 charges relating to the 1998 Omagh bombing, in which 29 died. He was immediately released.
The Northern Ireland Policing Board is to meet the chief constable to discuss scathing comments by the trial judge.
Mr Orde defended the performance of police, adding that detectives were hindered by mistakes during the initial investigation after the bombing.
He insisted his investigating officers had done their best with the 'imperfect product' passed to them following the original investigation by the RUC when Sir Ronnie Flanagan was chief constable.
Speaking at police headquarters in Belfast, Mr Orde was anxious to divert criticism away from the PSNI, saying it had mounted a fresh investigation when asked to do so by then Police Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan.
The Chief Constable conceded the judgment by Mr Justice Weir was 'a severe criticism of a number of areas.'
Two of his officers who were accused by the judge of lying in court are currently the subject of an investigation by the Police Ombudsman.
The investigation was launched during the trial at the request of the judge and is expected to be concluded soon.
Sir Hugh insisted his team had done its very best to win a conviction and had put together a case which the Director of Public Prosecutions agreed should be taken to court.
He said even the judge had agreed there was a case to answer when he dismissed the defence application to have the case thrown out halfway through the trial
Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward has begun a review of the 'extremely serious' implications of the judge's comments, and refused to rule out an inquiry.
Mr Justice Weir said there had been deliberate and calculated deception by police investigation the blast.
Families of the victims have insisted that a civil suit in the High Court in Belfast against the men they claim were responsible for the atrocity will go ahead.
Five men have been named by the relatives in the action.
