The Ulster Unionist Party has welcomed the publication by the British government of the policing implementation plan. However, it has expressed concern about several issues, including the speed of the RUC's downsizing.
Meanwhile, the DUP has said the plan goes far beyond the Patten report, and a cursory examination of the document shows it is unacceptable to unionists.
Lady Sylvia Hermon MP, of the UUP, said the DUP's criticism of the document had been very unhelpful. She appealed to the public to study it carefully. "If people read it calmly from beginning to end there will be a reassurance that, on those issues where they have been mostly concerned, their worst fears have not in fact been confirmed," she said.
She added: "This plan puts in place only one part of the four piece jigsaw - decommissioning, policing, demilitarisation and the stability of the institutions - outlined by the governments at Weston Park.
"Whilst we will consider it carefully, we obviously need to see movement on the other three pieces of the jigsaw. We recognise that the Police Federation has welcomed much of the implementation plan but, like ourselves, wishes to study it in further detail.
"We welcome the fact that the plan specifically repeats Patten's recommendation that no one with a serious criminal or terrorist background will be recruited into the new police service."
However, Lady Sylvia expressed concern about "the speed of the downsizing of the RUC", particularly when a peaceful security situation did not exist. She also called on the SDLP to "stop cherry-picking" on the policing issue and "remove all discouragements" to young Catholics joining the police force.
The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, has asked the parties to tell him by midday on Tuesday whether they are prepared to sign up to the new policing board.
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said he did not expect his party would meet this deadline. He claimed the pro-agreement parties had been shown the document in earlier meetings with Dr Reid, whereas the DUP saw it only yesterday.
"We are not jumping through hoops for the Secretary of State. Other parties have been treated very differently from the DUP. Our rights and the rights of those who voted for us have been violated," he said.
The DUP is likely to meet next week to discuss the plan, but Mr Robinson said a cursory examination showed it went "far beyond Patten".
"It will have a corrosive effect on RUC effectiveness at a time when the security situation requires a strong police force," he said.
He expressed concern about the proposals to reduce the Special Branch to half its pre-Patten size by next month and to phase out the full-time reserve over a three-year period.