The North's Policing Board has drawn up a shortlist of three candidates for the post of PSNI chief constable following the retirement of Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
Two of the contenders are senior officers serving in Northern Ireland, Assistant Chief Constable for Belfast, Mr Alan McQuillan, and Assistant Chief Constable Crime, Mr Chris Albiston, who recently returned after leading policing operations in Kosovo.
The third is London Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Hugh Orde, in charge of the investigation into the killing of Belfast solicitor Mr Pat Finucane.
The acting Chief Constable, Mr Colin Cramphorn, last month announced that he would not be running for the position. The only woman applicant, Ms Maria Wallis, withdrew her application on Thursday after being appointed Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. Interviews for the post will begin in the week of May 27th.
Meanwhile, it has been announced that only three of the 24 police stations earmarked for closure across the North will be shut, Springfield Road in west Belfast, Castlehill in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, and Corry Square in Newry, Co Down.
While unionist politicians widely welcomed the announcement of much fewer stations being closed than planned, a DUP MLA, Mr Maurice Morrow, described the closure of Castlehill as "criminal" given what he termed the "recent upsurge of republican violence" in the Dungannon area. He was also "extremely disappointed" that nearby Ballygawley station was not being rebuilt following its destruction in a barrack-buster attack.
In Derry yesterday the Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, meanwhile, described the announced transfer of military and security buildings for community use as a "major boost".
A Sinn Féin councillor yesterday called on the Assembly to preserve the high security Maze prison as a museum.
Mr Paul Butler said the H-Blocks should stand alongside prison museums such as Kilmainham and Robben Island as a "reminder of the conflict in this country and of those who were imprisoned and died as a result of that conflict".