Sinn Féin has vowed to intensify its campaign of opposition to the British government's plan on policing. Launching a detailed assessment of the plan this afternoon, party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said that young Nationalists would not join a force which would require them to work alongside what he called "human rights abusers".
He added that they would not use lethal force, including plastic bullets, against their neighbours family and friends. The campaign is expected to include street protests, designed to measure Republican opposition to the proposals.
Mitchel McLaughlin earlier issued a warning about the power of Nationalists on the new board overseeing police reforms in the North. He said that they would not have the power to bring them into line with the service originally envisaged.
Mr McLaughlin said that the fact that the British government has said that the proposals were non-negotiable means no further change could be brought about through participation in the police board.
The SDLP has accepted the proposals and urged Nationalists to take part in the new police force. The DUP has also rejected the proposals and they called on the UUP to join them yesterday. The Ulster Unionists has yet to make a formal response.
