Chief Constable Hugh Orde has halted a move to force all officers in Northern Ireland to declare membership of outside organisations, it emerged tonight.
With up to 4,500 completed forms now set to be torn-up, union representatives claimed a victory in their fight against plans to reveal associations with a list of bodies, including the Masons and the Orange Order.
Despite the climbdown following a legal challenge, Mr Orde has vowed to press ahead with his attempts to compile some form of register.
He is to consult lawyers and senior commanders over how to operate what he believes is a key part of the Patten blueprint for reforming the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
A PSNI statement said tonight: "The Chief Constable has written to the Secretary of State making representations on the urgent need to find a way forward on this issue."
The development followed a challenge by the Masonic Order and two members of the police service to the instruction asking officers to declare membership of certain specified organisations.
Mr Orde had drawn up a list in a special Notes for Guidance section which also included the loyalist Apprentice Boys, the Knights of St Columbanus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
The Police Federation was fiercely opposed to the Registration of Notifiable Membership, however, claiming it could be held against officers.
A Judicial Review of the case was due to he heard at the High Court in Belfast. But it was cancelled when PSNI chiefs were advised that their attempts to provide clarity fell outside what was legally permissible.