A District Policing Partnership meeting in Belfast was called off last night following a republican protest.
Up to 30 demonstrators gathered outside the Markets Community Centre in the south of the city, and a decision was taken to end the session after it had barely started.
The protesters were understood to include those unhappy at Sinn Fein's decision to take places in the partnership.
Policing Board chairman Des Rea said: "DPPs provide the forum for local people to put questions on issues of local concern directly to the police and members of the Partnership.
"Everyone has the right to peaceful protest, but the behaviour displayed at tonight's meeting was unacceptable."
Sinn Féin Policing Board member Alex Maskey was in the audience. "Some of them [protesters] would have been former Sinn Féin supporters, some would never have supported Sinn Féin," he said.
"This was as much a protest against us as a party engaging with policing as it was against the police. We have a mandate from people in the Markets to engage but I feel it was a mistake to organise a meeting without talking to people in the local community."
PA