The North's Chief Constable has criticised the SDLP over its election advertising campaign. The party claimed it helped to get rid of the Special Branch and the former police chief, Sir Ronnie Flanagan.
The issue was raised by Mr Sam Foster, a former Ulster Unionist Assembly member, who questioned Mr Hugh Orde at the monthly meeting in public which the chief constable attends.
Mr Foster said of the SDLP: "They imply they got rid of Ronnie Flanagan, got rid of the Special Branch and they helped to employ the present chief constable." He then asked: "Is such a scenario acceptable to the chief constable, to become a political pawn in Northern Ireland politics?"
Mr Orde made clear his unhappiness at the SDLP claims during the election campaign. "It's a matter for the SDLP to justify their campaign, not a matter for me." He added: "It is not helpful when one group try to align or identify me in a particular way because what we are determined to deliver here is fair and effective policing for every single community in Northern Ireland."
Referring to the Special Branch, Mr Orde said: "We still have, like every other police service in the United Kingdom, a Special Branch. We will continue to have a Special Branch as long as I have responsibility for national security."
The SDLP campaign was defended by Mr Alex Attwood, a Policing Board member and who was returned to the Assembly to represent West Belfast.
"Before, during and after the election, the SDLP publicised the Patten changes which the SDLP among others had driven through the Policing Board," he said.
He added: "We promoted Patten and we published the Patten changes. We have done so in the past and we will do so in the future."
Another Policing Board member, Mr Sammy Wilson, said the Chief Constable had "slapped down" the SDLP.
"He made it quite clear he was not in the ownership or did not belong to any one political party," he added.
The Policing Board chairman yesterday raised the cost to the PSNI of the industrial action by prison officers. PSNI members have been called in to manage the situation in Maghaberry following industrial action.