The Belfast Agreement was not an a la carte menu, and the Patten recommendations were the best way to get an impartial and representative police service capable of winning public acceptance, according to Fine Gael.
The party's spokesman on Northern Ireland, Mr Charlie Flanagan, said last night the unionist community should reflect that just as the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons was an integral part of the agreement, so was the establishment of policing structures which were impartial and representative of the society they policed.
Most of the recommendations made sense, regardless of the broader political context, Mr Flanagan added. The emphasis on human rights was important.
It was noteworthy that a focus study for the Patten commission found that, in lower-income groups, Protestants could be as strongly alienated from the police as were their Catholic counterparts. Similar alienation existed in some urban areas in the South.
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said the decision to implement the majority of the Patten report was a welcome development and represented another significant step towards full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
The future of policing was one of the most contentious issues in Northern Ireland. "I am well aware that many members of the RUC, both past and present, and many in the unionist community have grave reservations about the proposed changes," he continued.
"However, the considered plan for reform, outlined by the Secretary of State, does provide the best opportunity for establishing a policing service in Northern Ireland which has the support of both communities".
Major progress in ensuring the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement had been achieved in recent months, and yesterday's announcement should be seen as part of this process.
"I am hopeful that over the coming weeks and months other obstacles towards full implementation of the agreement can be successfully addressed," Mr Quinn said.