Trimble urges Reid to appoint unionist as chair of Police Board

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has urged the Secretary of State in a letter to appoint a unionist as the chairman of the new Police Board.

In a strongly worded letter to Dr John Reid Mr Trimble outlined his concerns regarding the top positions of the new Police Board.

Ten politicians and 9 independents will sit on the new Police Board, which replaces the Police Authority, and will hold the chief constable and the police to account.

A government announcement on the independent members, who will sit alongside politicians from the UUP, DUP and SDLP, is expected later this week.

In his letter Mr Trimble said he expected to be consulted before the chair was decided and that he wanted a political rather than an independent appointment as has been speculated.

He further maintained that an Ulster Unionist member should be appointed chairman and an SDLP member appointed as the deputy.

Mr Trimble said there were press reports that the SDLP were lobbying Dr Reid in favour of a nationalist chair. As speculation has it, business academic Des Rea is widely expected to take up the chairmanship, with former Londonderry priest Dennis Bradley tipped for the deputy post.

He told Dr Reid: "You are under a statutory duty to ensure that the board is representative of the community as a whole. This duty must also extend to the chair and deputy chair."

He said that any course other than to fill the two top posts from political appointees would be a "return to the bad habits of direct rule and a sign that the NIO had not yet weaned itself away from that era".

He added: "I consider you would be acting against the spirit of the legislation were you to pass over the political appointees."

In response, Dr Reid said if people insisted on playing politics with positions on the new board, "its task of bringing about a new beginning in policing which the people of Northern Ireland want, will become ever more difficult". (AMcE)