Sinn Féin has taken up its position on the Northern Ireland's Policing Board for the first time this morning
Sinn Fein members taking their seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board, (left to right) North Antrim MLA Daithi McKay, Foyle Assembly member Martina Anderson and former Belfast Lord Mayor Alex Maskey.
The 19 members of the new-look authority, which holds Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde to account, gathered in private at its Belfast headquarters today to hold elections to the body's top positions.
Top of the agenda was the appointment of the chair and vice chair, and the board re-elected Prof Desmond Rea as its chairman and Barry Gilligan as its vice chairman.
Sir Desmond has been the chairman on the Policing Board ever since it was established in November 2001.
Last month Sir Desmond and Mr Gilligan held their first meeting with Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams following his party's decision on January to get involved in policing structures in Northern Ireland for the first time.
Sinn Féin later nominated former Belfast Lord Mayor Alex Maskey, Foyle Assembly member Martina Anderson and North Antrim MLA Daithí McKay to the board.
A fourth party member, former Derry Mayor Gearóid Ó hEara was appointed as an independent member of the board by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain.
As they arrived for the meeting, Mr Maskey said his party's involvement in the board was a significant step forward in the effort to deliver a fully accountable and acceptable policing service.
"We have set ourselves a number of objectives which we intend to deliver through our membership of the Policing Board and the local District Policing Partnerships," the South Belfast MLA said.
"These are to ensure a civic policing service, accountable and representative of the community, is delivered as quickly as possible; that the Chief Constable and the PSNI are publicly held to account; that policing with the community is achieved as the core function of the PSNI; that political policing, collusion and 'the force within a force' is a thing of the past and to oppose any involvement by the British Security Service/MI5 in civic policing; that the issue of plastic bullets is properly addressed."
The Democratic Unionist Party holds four of the positions, followed by the three Sinn Féin representatives who signed up after the decision by republicans to support Northern Ireland's policing arrangements.
The appointments were the main business today and the board is due to hold its first public meeting next month.