Sinn Féin has said the British goverrnment must provide republicans with a script of any amendments to policing legislation in Northern Ireland if the problems in the peace process are to be resolved.
As Irish and British officials prepared to present the North's parties with proposals to safeguard the Belfast Agreement, Sinn Féin stressed they needed proof that there would be legislative change on policing if the problems in the peace process were to be smoothed over.
Outlining 20 areas in the Police Act which needed to be amended in line with the Patten Commission's recommendations on reform, a senior Sinn Féin source insisted: "There needs to be legislative change.
"The reason why there has to be legislative change is that we do not trust the word of the British government.
"Patten was reneged upon. If you realise what the securocrats did, you will see there were 175 recommendations on Patten and on each recommendation, they tore a piece out of it.
"So we need legislative change and it has to be transparent."
He said with no script of legislative changes having been presented to the party, there was not much optimism among republicans about whether the government's package of proposals could succeed.
"We are hoping to bring the present Bill towards Patten. That is what is needed," he said."At this point, I have to say I have no faith that we have got to that point."
The source also said in his view failure to deliver on policing and other issues was impacting on arms decommissioning.
"What is not helpful is when commitments are given on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and are then reneged upon," he argued.
"What is not helpful is David Trimble saying the only way to deal with republicans is to put them under pressure. What is not helpful is his resignation unless he says he is going to get a, b, c.
"The IRA has set out the context of putting its weapons beyond use. The IRA has also said it will not do that on British or unionist terms."
PA