The chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Authority (PANI), Mr Pat Armstrong, has described the Ulster Unionist Council's vote on Saturday making the party's re-entry to the NI executive dependent on keeping the RUC's name and emblems as "unhelpful".
"I think it is unfortunate the way the RUC has been brought into the political arena when the function of the Police Authority is to safeguard the operational independence of the Chief Constable and the RUC from political interference from any quarter. I am rather dismayed that the Ulster Unionist Party decided to support the opposition to the change in name," he added.
Mr Armstrong spoke as the PANI was releasing its final policing plan before the body is wound up and replaced by the Policing Board, suggested in the Patten recommendations.
The plan, which was unveiled to members of the Community and Police Liaison Committees, highlights eight areas in which police will seek to improve their performance. According to a number of opinion polls, drugs, road accidents, violent crime, burglaries and domestic violence have been identified as areas of particular public concern and each of them has been assigned a target for the year.
The RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, told members of the liaison committees that as the security situation improved more resources could be diverted to fighting "ordinary crime".
"Community policing is not some specialism for some department of the police service. It has to be a golden thread that runs through every aspect of activity which we are involved in. What we would, therefore, intend to do, as we are increasingly able to shed responsibilities in the security sense, is to work ever increasingly in partnership with all communities," he added.
The Chief Constable stressed, however, that the available financial resources were "finite". In real terms, the policing budget has increased only once in the last six years and there are fears that the RUC could be facing a shortfall of up to £33 million in the coming year.
Mr Armstrong said the coming year could put "real financial pressures" on the force, given that no provision had been made in the annual policing budget of £647 million for "widespread public disorder".
"This sum of £647 million makes no allowance for inflation and was predicted on a security assessment which anticipated a less volatile political and security environment than we now face. It did not provide for the policing of widespread public disorder.
"As a consequence, the level of service set out in this plan may not be fully achievable without an injection of up to £33 million more than is currently promised."
Mr Armstrong said while he personally regretted the PANI's passing, he was pleased the new Policing Board which would shortly replace it would have a range of stronger powers to hold the police to account.
Sir Ronnie said the RUC remained committed to delivering an efficient police service and the "pursuit of normality". The implementation of the Patten recommendations presented a task of unprecedented scale in change management for the force, he added.
The Chief Constable also welcomed the adoption of the 1998 Human Rights Act, which will come fully into force in Northern Ireland in October, and its significance for everyday policing.