A Derry woman, whose father died after he was beaten by members of the RUC more than 30 years ago, said yesterday she would be happy to see her son join the new Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Ms Christine Devenny, whose father, Samuel, died on July 17th, 1969 - three months after he was assaulted in front of his family in his home in William Street, Derry - said she hoped her children could trust the PSNI more than she trusted the RUC.
"For the first time I feel good and positive about it. I hope my children can trust the new police force better than I did the RUC. I would love for my son to join the new police force if he wanted to . . . and I would like to see the nationalist children of the future joining," she said.
"My memories of the police are as a child, standing in my house, watching them beating my father. We are still a long way from a totally acceptable police force, but if we want peace, we have to move with the times and concentrate on the future."
However, another Derry woman, whose father and sister, both RUC officers, were murdered by the IRA, said she was saddened by aspects of the Northern Secretary's announcement.
Ms Lorraine Baggley's father, Mr Billy Baggley, was shot near his home while on patrol in January 1974. Her sister Linda, also a part-time RUC reservist, was killed in June 1976.
"I know that neither my father nor my sister would have been happy about what is happening to the RUC. We all want peace, we all need peace, but not at the price of appeasement," she said.
"There is no need for a name change and the reason why Catholics don't join the RUC was because they wouldn't be accepted within their own community and because they would be intimidated and murdered.
"It's now up to the leaders of the nationalist community, church leaders and politicians to encourage nationalists to join the reconstructed police force, but the police will never be accepted by those who don't like them or by those who don't want to be policed."