Chris Patten, chairman: Former British government minister and Conservative Party chairman, who was appointed Governor of Hong Kong after losing his seat in the House of Commons in the 1992 general election.
Sir John Smith: Former deputy commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, who has also served as an Inspector of Constabulary in the UK.
Kathleen O'Toole: Began her career in the Boston police. Has wide experience in the law enforcement field. She had already worked with the RUC on training.
Peter Smith: A QC with more than 20 years experience at the Bar in Northern Ireland. He was an honorary secretary of the Ulster Unionist Party in the early 1980s.
Dr Maurice Hayes: A member of the Seanad, he is a former Northern Ireland Ombudsman. He produced a review of the Northern Ireland police complaints system in 1997.
Prof Clifford Shearing: Director of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto. He has extensive knowledge of policing, having examined the subject in his native South Africa and in Australia and Canada.
Dr Gerald Lynch: President of John Jay College, New York, which has been judged to be the best criminal justice institute in the United States, according to the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mowlam. He has done a great deal of work on policing worldwide, including developing a course on police and community relations for the United States Department of Justice.
Lucy Woods: Chief executive of British Telecom in Northern Ireland.