More Catholics than Protestants believe the North's Policing Board will help ensure the police do a good job, according to a new report. The October 2001 Omnibus Survey found that 75 per cent of Catholics and 66 per cent of Protestants thought this would be the case. A total of 1,176 people were interviewed for the survey.
The Policing Board holds the Chief Constable and the Police Service of Northern Ireland to account and includes representatives of all the North's major political parties except Sinn Féin.
Recognition of the board has grown, with77 per cent of people had heard of the board compared to 59 per cent seven months earlier. Sixty-three per cent of people thought the board would be independent of the police whilst a quarter thought it would be part of the police. Men (71 per cent) were more likely than women (57 per cent) to think this.