Despite uncertainty over the Northern Ireland Policing Board's future, the board has reached a major milestone in its existence – its first birthday.

Reflecting on the achievements of the 'accountability' policing body over the past year, Chairman of the Board, Professor Desmond Rea said: “I can assure everyone in Northern Ireland that this has been a year of hard work, dedication and commitment from all the Board members. My thanks go to each of them for their individual and collective contributions.

“During the past year the Board has made substantial progress in moving forward many aspects of the policing agenda as well as dealing with other difficult issues which have come up, such as the Omagh reports and the Castlereagh break-in."

While Professor Rea said that it was true that the spotlight had often fallen on the more controversial issues but behind the scenes, he said the Board members had consistently worked together to fulfil the Board’s remit.

"There is no doubt the discussions have sometimes been tough and the debate lengthy," said Professor Rea, "but together, the Board has produced sound recommendations and workable solutions to its overall objective – that is to get on with the job it was set up to do – overseeing the PSNI and holding it to account."

He said: "In recent weeks, the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly has caused uncertainty. But in the midst of this uncertainty there needs to be some stability. I believe the Board can provide this stability and I am pleased that the former Secretary of State, Dr Reid, recognized the contributions made by the Board and saw fit to reconstitute it to ensure progress was maintained."

The Chairman pledged that the Board would remain fully committed to ensuring that the policing service was "effective, efficient and most of all accountable to the Northern Ireland community".

He said that he looked forward to the setting up of the District Policing Partnerships next year as they would deliver on the commitment of the PSNI and the Board to community policing.

(SP)