Policing in the North will not be disrupted by delays in setting up the new policing board, the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, has said, writes Monika Unsworth.
Membership of the new board, which will be given the task of scrutinising the Police Service of Northern Ireland, has not yet been finalised due to the dispute over police reform, with the SDLP and Sinn Fein refusing to take their seats on the board.
Dr Reid yesterday confirmed he had asked the current members of the Police Authority of Northern Ireland to stay on for the time being.
"If Police Authority members agree to stay on, it will provide continued accountability until the creation of the policing board, which had originally been expected to begin work on April 1st," he added.
The Police Authority chairman, Mr Pat Armstrong, confirmed that his members had agreed to stay on and said they were committed to the new beginning envisaged by Patten. "We will play our part in ensuring that no vacuum develops in this important area," he said.