Tom Constantine: Overseeing police reform

Mr Constantine, a former chief of police in New York state, said it was vital that the new board was established.

"All of the things we do - all the key recommendations involve the accountability aspect of the Police Board," he said.

"When we go to review any of these recommendations we always go back to the Police Board and see what their opinions are and what their decisions are.

"It would seem to me that without a Police Board, the changes as prescribed would be very difficult to occur."

But he added that the co-operation he had received so far was "complete and professional".

On Monday, Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid wrote to the DUP, Ulster Unionists, SDLP and Sinn Fein telling them he wanted their decisions by Thursday on whether they would endorse the new service.

The four largest parties all have the right to nominate members - 10 in total - to the 19-member Police Board, which will have powers to hold the chief constable to account.

Interviews to select the nine independent members of that board are due to finish on Wednesday.

John Reid is asking parties for board nominations

So far only the nationalist SDLP has agreed to nominate members to the new board, therefore accepting the government's plans on how it will implement the changes to policing.

Sinn Fein is the only party to have rejected the policing plan outright.

The DUP leader, Ian Paisley, has said his party is still not ready to accept the invitation to join the new board.

Mr Paisley and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble have held a number of meetings with Dr Reid over the policing issue.

The first batch of between 260-300 Police Service of Northern Ireland trainees - selected on a 50% Catholic 50% Protestant basis - will begin training by 3 November and be on the streets by spring 2002.

It is planned that the reserve will be eventually phased out as part of the reforms to policing.