The Chief Constable of the PSNI, Hugh Orde, has confirmed that he will reduce by more than half the full-time PSNI reserve, which currently has almost 1,500 members.
Mr Orde announced his decision to retain 680 reservists at a meeting of the North's Policing Board in Belfast.
In response, the North's police federation, which represents rank and file officers, passed a motion of no confidence in Mr Orde.
Nationalists had put pressure on Mr Orde to scrap the full-time reserve, while Unionists had waged an intense campaign for its retention.
The full-time reserve has faced an uncertain future since the publication of the Patten Report on police reform in the North in 1999.
The Patten Commission recommended disbanding the reserve force.
