The British government has confirmed that the new Police Service of Northern Ireland is to come into force at the beginning of next month. The Northern Secretary, John Reid, announced this evening that the RUC name will be changed to the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 4 November.
On the same day, the 19-member Policing Board receives its powers and the first recruits will begin training.
The Unionist parties and the SDLP have taken up their seats on the board, but so far, Sinn Féin has declined to give its support to the body, and has advised Nationalists and Republicans not to join the new police service.
Although the new force will be officially called the Police Service, its old form, the Royal Ulster Constabulary, is to be retained within the so-called title deeds of the new service.
The SDLP and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, have welcomed the announcement. He said it brought us markedly closer to the new beginning to policing promised by the GFA and the Patten report.
Sinn Féin's Alex Maskey said that the name change alone was not enough to satisfy the demands of Republicans.
