The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable Mr Hugh Orde has admitted that there is no immediate prospect of the go-ahead being given for a new £80 million police training college.
Mr Orde was responding to the report from the outgoing police oversight commissioner, Mr Tom Constantine, who complained about poor police facilities and, in particular, the lack of movement towards building a state-of-the-art training centre.
Mr Constantine's final report was mostly positive but he said such was the poor standard of many of the North's 140 police stations that a number should be toppled.
"A third of the police stations I have been in are either in need of complete replacement or a major rehabilitation," said Mr Constantine who was charged with monitoring the implementation of the Patten police reform proposals.
Police officers were entitled to work in comfortable, secure and healthy environments that were accessible to the public, he added.
Again focusing on the need for a new training college, Mr Constantine said the current facility in east Belfast was "deplorable".
The Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable Mr Orde pledged that all outstanding issues raised by Mr Constantine would be implemented as quickly as possible. He acknowledged there were problems regarding a new training college.
"With issues such as the police college, it will be difficult to find an immediate solution.
"I can assure the commissioner that we will be doing all we can to resolve these matters but, as always, we need to closely consider our resource constraints and the ever-present security situation," said Mr Orde.
Prof Desmond Rea, chairman of the Policing Board, said the issue of the college and the poor condition of many police stations continued to be a concern.
However, the location of the college would be announced in the new year, while a comprehensive review of police facilities was also being completed.
Mr Constantine yesterday said that, in November, he received a detailed police plan on how the special branch would be incorporated into the PSNI's Criminal Investigation Division.
This plan illustrated "good faith" that the Patten proposals on the special branch would be fully implemented.
