The Oversight Commissioner for Policing Reform, Mr Tom Constantine, has said an excellent start has been made to implementing the huge changes that would take place in policing in the North over the next 10 years.
In a report yesterday, he described the implementation of the changes which are creating the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) out of the old RUC as "the largest and most complex such task undertaken by a law enforcement agency".
Arguments over setting up the new Policing Board had delayed implementation of the Patten reforms and seriously affected progress in training and development strategy, he said. Decisions on the police badge and other symbols were now required, he added.
However, Mr Constantine said the establishment of the Policing Board last month and the first wave of 50-50, Catholic-Protestant recruitment were "very important first steps in beginning the enormous amount of change that will take place".
Although his report was largely positive, a review carried out during September produced several areas of concern. He highlighted a lack of documentary evidence of policies and plans being provided by the service to help them assess progress.
He praised the Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, and the change team set up within the force to monitor and oversee progress. The Chief Constable had been "totally open and co-operative. There was no resistance. He laid bare his whole agency for us to look at".
Last week Sir Ronnie announced plans to retire from his position next year. Mr Constantine said it was "tough to tell" whether that would affect the pace of change. But he was unconcerned that Sir Ronnie's retirement was sending out a message that he did not support the current reforms.
Mr Constantine, a former head of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, has said he expects the reform package to take between seven and 10 years to accomplish.
While front-line officers recognised the need for change, they had spoken of the "inadequate recognition for the sacrifices made during difficult and dangerous times" and expressed concern about the ability of the changes to deliver a professional service.
Response to requests for documents covering training, education and development was disappointing. "Virtually every request for documents in this area was either not available or not finalised," he added.
Similarly, documentary evidence of administrative progress on issues involving the Special Branch was not available as of October 1st. But Mr Constantine said it was expected those issues would be addressed and corrected.
An SDLP Policing Board member, Mr Eddie McGrady, welcomed the report, which he described as positive.
Sinn FΘin described the report as "worrying". Its policing spokesman, Mr Gerry Kelly, said: "It seems that the securocrats within the RUC are determined to maintain their vice-like grip upon the Special Branch and intend to prevent accountability."