Nationalist politicians in Northern Ireland were highly critical of the consultative paper on police accountability which they said was inadequate. The SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said the document did not even begin to address policing difficulties.
"This is a superficial document in that the fundamental areas have been ignored and it concentrates not on solving the policing problem but on peripheral issues," he said. It was a PR exercise.
Rejecting the proposals, Mr Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein said they fell far short of nationalist demands. "The RUC are unacceptable to the nationalist people in any guise. They cannot be reformed. They need to be replaced with a police service which can enjoy the support and respect of the people being policed.
"The RUC have shown no respect to the nationalist people of the six counties. The idea that political parties would be elected to run the RUC is a non-starter because it would mean that unionists would dominate such a body and in effect have control over the RUC."
The Ulster Unionist Party's security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, cautiously welcomed the document. "It doesn't appear to be a paper that says `We already know the answer'. It is patently sensible in parts, impracticable in others, but that's not a major fault."
Mr Ian Paisley jnr of the DUP criticised the document and accused the British government of attempting to denude the Police Authority of power and responsibility.
He said his party welcomed open and direct elections to the authority, but added: "The government already has its mind made up as it intends to rig the appointments to suit a pro-nationalist balance by dividing the country into unrecognisable regions and from that promote regional policy and regional policing."
The chairman of the Police Authority, Mr Pat Armstrong, expressed reservations at a wholly elected authority. There was a very real risk this would produce a highly politicised body, he said.
But the Workers' Party welcomed the discussion paper, particularly the suggestion of elections to the authority. Its president, Mr Tom French, said: "Membership of the authority must be drawn from the community in the widest possible manner.