A senior Orange Order member and a former internee are among the independent members of the new District Policing Partnerships.
The Policing Board today announced the names of 207 people appointed to serve as independent members on Northern Ireland's 26 DPPs, which are designed to promote community input into policing.
Among the new members are chief executive of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland George Patton and recent chair of the Democratic Left Paddy Joe McClean, who was interned for five years.
Former Workers Party chairman Thomas French and former Ulster Democratic Party councillor and
writer David Adams have also been appointed.
The DPPs will advise on policing priorities and liaise closely with police district commanders in each partnership area.
More than 1,500 people applied for the independent member posts during a high-profile recruitment drive.
Using statistics from the 2001 census, the Policing Board has appointed 108 Catholics and 99 non-Catholics.
A total of 127 women have been appointed, including all nine independent members on Ards DPP.
The 207 successful applicants who come from all walks of life from dinner ladies to teachers, company directors to community workers, have a number of duties and responsibilities.
They will:
- provide views to district commanders on any matter concerning policing in their district
- monitor the performance of the police in carrying out the local policing plan
- obtain the cooperation of the public with the police in preventing crime
- act as a general forum for discussion and consultation on matters affecting the policing of the district n obtain the views of the public about matters concerning policing
All independent members have been appointed until after the date of the next local government election. New independent members will therefore be appointed in 2005.
The independent members will serve alongside the DPPs 241 political representatives.
The Ulster Unionist Party has the most DPP members with 80. The DUP has 69, the SDLP 68 and Alliance Party has nine.
Sinn Féin declined to appoint councillors to DPPs or take part in the
appointment process as the party has thus far refused to endorse the new policing arrangements, insisting
they do not match up to the Patten reforms.
Under the current legislation the party will have to wait until the next local government elections if it wants to take its places unless there is a change in the law.
DPP members will each receive a standard allowance of £2,400 per annum. Belfast DPP members will receive £4,200 a year.
The bodies will meet publicly for the first time next month but will hold informal 'get-to-know you' sessions over the next few weeks.
Policing Board chairman Professor Desmond Rea said the DPPs were an integral part of the new policing arrangements.
"The appointment process itself was one of the biggest simultaneous public appointment exercises undertaken in Northern Ireland and has led to one of the largest single appointments of women to public bodies in recent years," he said.
"The establishment of the DPPs is a significant step forward in developing real community policing across Northern Ireland and contributing to their future success is the fact that each DPP is as representative of the community as we have been able to make it.
"Through a very stringent process we have worked hard to achieve this."
