Members
The current board was constituted on 1 June 2011
Democratic Unionist Party
- Jonathan Craig MLA
- Ian McCrea MLA
- David McIlveen MLA
- Sammy Douglas MLA
Sinn Féin
- Gerry Kelly MLA
- Caitriona Ruane MLA
- Pat Sheehan MLA
Ulster Unionist Party
- Ross Hussey MLA
Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Conall McDevitt MLA
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
- Trevor Lunn MLA
Independent
- Brian Rea MBE JP (Chairman)
- Gearóid Ó hEára (Vice-Chairman)
- Anne Connolly
- Brice Dickson
- Ryan Feeney
- Stuart MacDonnell
- Joan O'Hagan
- Brian Rowntree
- Deborah Watters
Policing Board Chairman Brian Rea is a former member of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). As of May 2011, Gearóid Ó hEára was also a member of Sinn Féin, which effectively increased his party's membership of the board to four seats (equal to the DUP) despite it being a smaller party in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Dawn Purvis was appointed as an independent member of the board in 2006, when she was chairman of the Progressive Unionist Party. The party had only one member of the Northern Ireland Assembly at the time and was linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force, an armed paramilitary organisation. Purvis has since left the party.
Brice Dickson, appointed as an independent member on 15 March 2012, was a member of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland at the time of his appointment.
According to the department, the appointment of all independent members is made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland requires that the political activity of appointees be published, for accountability.
The practice of appointing 'independent' members, who were also full members of political parties, was also common across the district policing partnerships organised by the Policing Board, thus reducing the number of places available for members of the public with no political connections.
Read more about this topic: Northern Ireland Policing Board
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