A recruitment drive for the North's new police force will begin later this week, but Sinn Fein has urged nationalists not to apply. It is understood television advertisements will be broadcast tomorrow and Friday.
Security sources said the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, would go ahead with the recruitment drive despite the failure so far of Sinn Fein, the SDLP and the Catholic Church to support the new force.
Both nationalist political parties are refusing to nominate members to the Policing Board to which the new force will be answerable. Under the Police Act, equal numbers of Catholic and Protestant recruits must join. The 240 new recruits are expected to begin training next September and will be ready to serve on the streets by spring 2002. There are also moves to reduce the number of police in the North, with 500 officers expected to leave the RUC by April and another 750 by the end of next year.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said beginning the recruitment drive sent out "entirely the wrong signal". He said: "If this recruitment campaign comes into being, it will be seen as a signal that the British government has given up on the search for a new policing service. "Given that this is recruitment to an old force, no democrat would want to be a part of it."
The British government needed to act on the Patten Commission's recommendations on a range of issues, including the force's name, oath, symbols, plastic bullets and the Special Branch, he added.
There was also a cool response to the recruitment drive from the North's Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon. Asked if he would urge young nationalists to apply when the advertisements appeared, he said: "There are none of the new arrangements for the new police service in place yet. Let us take it one step at a time. I wish well to anybody who decided to respond to that advertisement."
The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, said he wanted to see the new Police Board formed as soon as possible because there was a clear need for efficient policing in the North.
However, there were difficult issues to be dealt with, he stated. "There comes a time for hard decisions," he added.
The DUP expressed concern about the number of officers leaving the force. Regional Development Minister Mr Gregory Campbell said it did not make sense to lose 1,250 officers within a year and only have 240 recruits when there was a continuing paramilitary threat.
He criticised the 50-50 quota for Catholic and Protestant recruits. "If there are 140 Protestant adequately qualified recruits and 100 Roman Catholic adequately qualified recruits, you would be looking at 40 Protestant recruits being denied admission into the force."
The Alliance justice spokesman, Mr Stephen Farry, criticised the SDLP and Sinn Fein for refusing to support the new force. Nationalist politicians should "stop prevaricating", accept the new force, and seek reform from within, he said.
The Northern Ireland Security Minister said yesterday that any visit planned to the North by the British Prime Minister and by the Taoiseach should not be interpreted as heralding a breakthrough on the policing issue, writes George Jackson.
Mr Adam Ingram also said that talks on the impasse were continuing, and he was hopeful that a police force with cross-community support could soon be patrolling the streets. Speaking to reporters in Derry, Mr Ingram said a very high level of political activity was ongoing.
"It's not on a showbusiness basis, it's not all up front. A lot of it is in private rooms with private discussions. Both prime ministers are very actively involved in it. The Secretary of State is involved, everyone who represents the major parties is involved."