The chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing, Mr Chris Patten, said yesterday that a report in The Irish Times last month indicating that the body had come to preliminary conclusions about the future of the RUC had caused him great annoyance and was not true.
The former Hong Kong governor, who was also a junior minister at the Northern Ireland Office in the 1980s, was addressing a public meeting in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, where the commission took submissions during the afternoon.
About 400 people attended. Most of those who made oral submissions said the RUC should remain in its present form, though some added change would be acceptable in the form of a gradual evolution.
Two RUC officers stressed that morale in the force was low following the publication of the report in The Irish Times. One of the men said he had served in west Belfast, and residents in republican areas who supported the RUC could not attend commission meetings and voice this because of intimidation.
The East Antrim Ulster Unionist Assembly member, Mr Roy Beggs Jnr, also referred to The Irish Times article of November 18th, saying that a suggestion that RUC members would have to reapply for their posts did not recognise the sacrifices they had made. One teenage girl said: "My father was an officer in the RUC and killed by terrorists six years ago. He would turn in his grave if it was disbanded."
Pastor Sam Grant, local chaplain for the Royal British Legion, said the symbols and emblems associated with the RUC were of great importance. Changing them would be a great disservice, he said. He pointed out that the uniform was green and the badge featured the crown, the harp, and the shamrock intertwined. "It only offends those who are going out of their way to be offended," he added.
Referring back to The Irish Times report towards the end of proceedings, Mr Patten said it had caused him even greater annoyance than one of the RUC officers who had spoken earlier. "It was not true. We have not even begun to consider the contents of our report, certainly not before the end of the consultation exercise.
"People who suggest that this is all just a show and already settled must think that my colleagues and myself - pretty enthusiastic and interesting as it has been this evening - cannot think of a better way to spend our time three weeks before Christmas."
There had been extraordinary rumours and reports about the work of the commission, he said. "I have heard on several occasions that there are new uniforms ready and available for the RUC. All those tailors in Hong Kong must be extremely busy."
Last night Mr Patten said the commission is to see previously unpublished reports into allegations of a security force "shoot-to-kill policy" and RUC involvement in sectarian murders.
He said he will see both the Stalker and Stevens reports, which have been kept secret. "If we didn't wish to see those we'd be accused of not doing our job properly," he told Channel 4 television.