There is no small irony in the fact that the commission for the reform of policing in Northern Ireland - designed to build cross-community support for the force - should itself become the focus of controversy. Even before the commission begins its work, its composition has created an unwelcome frisson between Dublin and London. The Government is clearly dismayed that only one of its ten suggested nominees has been appointed - and that at the eleventh hour. The British government is clearly vulnerable to the charge that it has not been sufficiently sensitive to the Government's demands for the inclusion of individuals who would reflect the concerns of nationalists on policing.
The Northern Secretary, Dr Mowlam, will hope that the decision to include one of Dublin's nominees - Dr Gerald Lynch, the president of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York - will avert any potential Anglo-Irish rift. But it is already clear that the affair has caused disquiet among some in Government. In the Dail yesterday, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, did not conceal his disappointment with the unilateral action of the British government, although he also appeared anxious to press on with the task in hand.
As the SDLP's Mr Seamus Mallon reminded the Commons yesterday, the issue of policing is fundamental to the successful implementation of the Belfast Agreement. The commission faces the formidable task of formulating proposals designed to ensure that Northern Ireland has a police force "that can enjoy widespread support from, and is seen as an integral part of, the community as a whole". It must also ensure that the composition, recruitment, training, culture, ethos and symbols of the force will allow for "constructive and inclusive partnership with the community at all levels".
The membership of the commission announced yesterday under the chairmanship of the former Hong Kong Governor, Mr Chris Patten, is by no means perfect. There is no representative from a republican working-class base; there is probably no one who fully understands the elemental fears of some in the loyalist community. The commission is open to the charge that it is too mainstream, too establishment-based. It is scarcely reflective of a deeply divided society in which most Unionists are protective of the RUC and apprehensive about its future, while Sinn Fein continues to press for its total abolition.
For all that, the composition of the commission is now a fait accompli and it deserves a fair wind. Its members have a wide variety of policing, academic and business experience. The stature and the integrity of each member is not in question. In the end, much will depend on the leadership and vision of Mr Patten who has the authority and the personality to win respect from all sections of Northern opinion. That kind of cross-community support will be required if the commission is to succeed in its task of providing a police force for all the people of Northern Ireland.