The British government's plan to reduce police numbers as part of its reform of the RUC is defective, an Ulster Unionist minister claimed today.
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Sir Reg Empey
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Northern Enterprise Minister Sir Reg Empey, whose party is in talks with the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists about the police reforms, said there were aspects of the British government's police plan that the UUP opposed.
Mr Empey said today that party leader Mr Trimble's talks with Mr Paisley were an attempt to find "a common approach" on policing We want to find out on this issue if there is a consensus," the East Belfast MLA told BBC Radio Ulster.
In a reference to the Holy Cross school dispute, he said: "The concept of reducing the size of the RUC against the current climate seems to us to be a very defective way to be going about things because if you look at the stories this morning we are depending on the police to hold the line in north Belfast.
"They are under pressure all over the country and we just don't see how you can reconcile that with a view to getting rid of the police reserve, for instance," Mr Empey said.
Ulster Unionists have withheld nominations of party members to the 19-member policing board amid concerns over its appointees and some aspects of the police reforms.
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Only the SDLP has said it will nominate members to the board, which will hold the new Police Service of Northern Ireland accountable and handle some reforms such as decisions on the emblems of the new service and the oath sworn by officers.
Sinn Féin will not nominate because it claims the reforms do not go far enough for nationalists and republicans.
The DUP will only take their seats if the Ulster Unionists take theirs. But the DUP also claims if the UUP joins it in refusing to nominate, it can "claw back" some of the concessions made to nationalists by the British government on policing which enabled the SDLP to join the board.
PA
