Not only will the discussion centre on the personnel of this new Board with an expected 10 Council members among its ranks, but a Sinn Fein motion relating to Special Branch is also anticipated to spark debate. In the motion for debate, it points out that the Council notes that the RUC membership including the RUC Special branch has transferred en bloc into the PSNI. Drawing attention to the vetting of the human rights record of PSNI and Special Branch members, the notice adds: "This Council notes that the Patten recommends that human rights abusers should be dealt with. This Council recommends that all aspects of policing should be subject to democratic scrutiny and accountability and this should be include the capacity to identify and remove those who have been involved in misuse of powers".

    Already in anticipation of the Council meeting, there has been a war of words between Sinn Fein and SDLP about the issue of Police Boards with Councillor Brian McCaffrey Sinn Fein accusing the SDLP of trawling the county to find suitable nationalist candidates to take some of the expected nine seats for independents on the Board. Rejecting the claims, Councillor John O'Kane from the SDLP points to a many layered recruitment process which he says would be impossible to influence.

    It is believed that Fermanagh will have a District Policing Board made up of 19 members. It is anticipated that the make-up from the Council will be six Ulster Unionists, one DUP member and three SDLP members and nine independent members drawn from the community.

    "The independent members might well be used to counter the Nationalist/ Unionist imbalance within the policing board itself. Personally I think that would be a mistake. It would be running against the intention of the legislation. It would seem that some people are being encouraged to put members forward. I strongly suspect the SDLP," said Councillor Brian McCaffrey.

    Refuting the Sinn Fein suggestion, Councillor John O'Kane said: "After the Police Board is set up there has to be a chairperson and vice-chairperson selected and shortlisting done. They have to advertise for 27 who wish to be considered. Even then they shortlist to 18 members and then the 18 go forward to the Police Board who select nine. Anybody who thinks they can exert influence is mistaken and fails to understand the process".

    Mr. O'Kane said to would be "perfectly reasonable" to hope that nationalists of sufficient calibre would put forward their names so that independents could be appointed to redress any imbalance that may exist in the board. The SDLP is expected to nominate three members. "Our policy is that the Police Board is part of the Good Friday agreement arrangements and the SDLP has taken places on the Police Board for Northern Ireland.

    "The community is crying out for a proper community police force. We would hope and encourage Sinn Fein to get off the fence and get in," he said.

    "I think Sinn Fein is afraid people will come forward and seek to become part of it. That is what they do not want," he added.

    Councillor Brian McCaffrey said: "We are saying to people that they should not be involved, that we should press on with the changes to make policing acceptable. We would feel also that unless policing has the support of the whole nationalist community that it would not work.

    "It is a question of whether we think policing legislation as it now stands can give an accountable police force representative of all communities here and will serve all the communities' interest and be free from partisan interest. Now legislation as it stands will not guarantee that. We can't have an input to it.

    "People should think very, very carefully before considering joining the police service itself -- what they would actually be doing is abandoning their own community," he said.