The body which will hold the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to account held its first public meeting in Belfast yesterday.
SDLP, DUP, and Ulster Unionist politicians questioned the Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, about his force's current performance and future plans.
There were no republican or loyalist protests outside the offices where the 19-member Northern Ireland Policing Board met. Sinn FΘin is refusing to join the board, but the SDLP predicted it would take its seats.
"Sooner or later, Sinn FΘin will be here," said SDLP representative, Mr Alex Attwood. "They said they wouldn't sit in any parliament on this island and they do. They will end up sitting here too."
The board is responsible for securing the maintenance, efficiency, and effectiveness of the PSNI. The first batch of PSNI recruits began training on Monday.
Ten members of the Policing Board are from the Assembly and the remaining nine are appointed by the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid. Sinn FΘin's two seats have been reallocated so the UUP has four seats, with three each for the DUP and the SDLP.
The chairman of the Board, Prof Des Rea, urged the public to support the force which would "be judged by the ability of officers to live with the people they serve".
He paid tribute to RUC officers who had lost their lives or were injured during the Troubles: "It would be remiss not to mention all those officers who have lost their lives. It would be remiss not to mention all those officers who have been injured and who carry scars."
In his briefing to the board, Sir Ronnie urged members to decide on the symbols of the PSNI so uniforms could be issued. He also announced plans for a service at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast next month, commemorating the RUC and the 302 officers killed during the Troubles.
The Board's vice-chairman, Mr Denis Bradley, said all sides must be allowed to grieve for their dead. "I do not believe the nationalist community have any difficulty with widows of the RUC holding onto those memories," he said.
Mr Alex Attwood said police officers had suffered. "People within the police and outside the police continue to carry that pain from what has happened over the last number of years." Sir Ronnie told the board there had been eight murders in the North since October 13th. Sinn FΘin policing spokesman, Mr Gerry Kelly, defended his party's decision not to sit on the board, which he said fell short of the requirements of the Patten Commission and the Belfast Agreement.
"We will not sit on a flawed Policing Board or support a force which remains flawed in significant and substantive ways," he said. Sinn FΘin demanded a police service which was accountable, free from partisan political control, and representative of the community as a whole, he added.
"We will continue to work with the two governments and others to achieve the promise of the Agreement. We signed up for a new beginning. We will accept nothing less."