The appointments process of the District Policing Partnerships (DPPs) has been described as a "fair robust, open and transparent" process.

Members of the Community Involvement Committee of the Northern Ireland Policing Board received a presentation on the final report of the Impartial Assessors into the appointment of Independent Members to the DPPs.

The four Impartial Assessors, working to the Code and Guidelines of the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, scrutinised and monitored the entire recruitment process from its inception to ensure that the DPP Independent Members were selected through an open, transparent and inclusive process.

Speaking on behalf of the Impartial Assessors, Judith Eve said that when completed the process, “will be the largest-scale and most complex public appointments process ever undertaken in Northern Ireland and was conducted in an environment of close administrative, public and political scrutiny.”

She added: “Having been involved from the outset, we were satisfied that the design, documentation, implementation and recording of the process to recruit Independent Members of the DPPs has been fair, robust, open and transparent.”

Having begun the process in September 2002, in March of this year the Policing Board announced the names of 207 Independent Members appointed to 25 of Northern Ireland’s 26 District Policing Partnerships. With the appointment process to establish a DPP in Dungannon & South Tyrone still ongoing, to date 15 out of the 25 DPPs have held public meetings.

Welcoming the findings of the Report as ‘fair and balanced’ Denis Bradley, Chairperson of the Community Involvement Committee said: “This was unique and complex process which involved many people and the overall success is a tribute to all those who played their part. I would also like to pay specific tribute to the Impartial Assessors who played a vital and central role in providing the Board with a wholly independent and informed view of the recruitment process.”

“Ensuring that the DPPs were as representative of the community as could be made, in a process developed to be as inclusive as possible has been a considerable achievement for all concerned.”

DPPs have been set up in response to the Good Friday Agreement and the Patten report on policing.

All Independent Members have been appointed until the date of the next local government election following their appointment.

(MB)