Sinn Fein has given a guarded welcome to the RUC announcement that the controversial Castlereagh holding centre in east Belfast will close by the end of the month.
The decision to close the centre, one of the main police centres for the interrogation of paramilitary suspects in the North, was taken by the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
An RUC spokesman said the decision had been taken as a result of the overall improving security situation and was a direct consequence of the ongoing review of policing needs.
"It is a further step in the progressive scaling down of security measures in Northern Ireland," added the spokesman.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, also welcomed the closure, which was a recommendation in the Patten report on the future of policing.
"Today's announcement is an indication of what can be achieved when conditions allow. The closure of Castlereagh is significant further progress towards the goal of complete normalisation," added Mr Mandelson.
The Sinn Fein MLA for West Belfast, Mr Alex Maskey, said the closure was a "useful start" but stressed it would not be enough for nationalists who have experienced the "brutal litany of physical and psychological abuse" at the centre. He called on the British government to close the remaining detention centres in Armagh and Derry.
The Castlereagh centre was opened in 1972 in response to Bloody Friday when the IRA detonated 26 bombs in Belfast, killing 11 people. In the past the United Nations committee on torture expressed concern at the interrogation techniques used by officers in the centre.