Claims that Sinn Féin will join Northern Ireland's Policing Board before the next election have hit a "raw nerve", a nationalist rival argued today.
SDLP Assembly member Mr John Fee claimed Sinn Féin knew its hand had been called on the policing issue following sweeping reforms to the police service.
On the eve of the first anniversary of the SDLP's decision to take its seats on the Policing Board, the Newry and Armagh MLA alleged Sinn Féin was "searching for political cover" to enable its members to join.
Noting Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy had denied claims by Police Board member Mr Tom Kelly that his party would join the board, Mr Fee also accused his rivals of sending out a mixed message to dissident republicans with their opposition to the new Police Service of Northern Ireland.
"Northern Ireland and all of its people deserve a new police service and the SDLP has been working hard to achieve this," he said.
"Sinn Féin are holding back further developments of Patten by their absence from the Policing Board and are denying the nationalist community proper representation within the police by the mixed message they are sending to dissident republicans who feel that young PSNI recruits are fair game for intimidation and attacks," he added.
Last year, the SDLP became the first nationalist party to urge its supporters to join the police service in the wake of reforms inspired by the Patten Report.
The party nominated three MLAs _ Alex Attwood, Eddie McGrady and Joe Byrne _ to the 19-member board.
Sinn Féin, however, refused to take its two seats on the grounds that the British government's police reforms fell short of its community's expectations.
The party claimed the chief constable of the new police service was still not accountable enough to the board and they were also opposed to the continued use of plastic bullets for riot control.
The Ulster Unionists and Democratic Unionists benefited from Sinn Féin's refusal to nominate to the board and were allocated an additional seat each.