Sinn Fein today said it would campaign vigorously against a "repackaged" RUC and also dismissed hints from Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, that a deal on IRA weapons may be close.
Speaking at the annual Bloody Sunday commemoration in Derry this afternoon, the Sinn Féin Mayor of Sligo, Alderman Mr Seán MacManus, said republicans would give "a fair wind" to a genuinely new beginning to policing as promised in the Belfast Agreement.
But he said Sinn Féin would campaign vigorously against a "repackaged" RUC and will not accept "half measures" in a new beginning on policing.
Mr MacManus said the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, needs to understand how critical and emotive policing is if he wants to persuade nationalists and republicans to sign up to policing.
He also criticised the RUC for allowing loyalist attacks against Catholics, particularly in towns like Coleraine, Larne and Ballymena to escalate.
SDLP policing spokesman, Mr Alex Attwood also addressed the rally and underscored the importance of the issue of policing within the new political landscape.
The West Belfast member of the Assembly said it was time to create certainty in the Belfast Agreement which needed all people to accept their responsibilities in full.
Before addressing the rally, Mr MacManus dismissed comments from Mr Trimble that a deal on IRA weapons may be close.
He said Mr Trimble's comments on the issue of arms bear no relationship to the discussions in which Sinn Fein is involved. He said: "The current phase of discussions have focused on the policing issue. On this, and other matters, there is still a lot of work to do."
Speaking on BBC's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Trimble said proposals had been put to republicans by the British Government as part of negotiations aimed at safeguarding the power-sharing regime in Belfast.
"We hope they're going to come back and tell us precisely how they're going to put the weapons beyond use in a permanent and verifiable way," he said, adding he hoped the issue could be resolved without much controversy.
Additional reporting PA