It may have been two years since the Northern Ireland Policing Board last meet at their waterfront offices in Belfast's Clarendon Dock, but it was business as usual yesterday with paramilitary murders, Brexit and the arrest of two investigative journalists all on the agenda.
Chief Constable George Hamilton announced last week that he was to retire in June, and it is a decision he is clearly at peace with given his relaxed manner.
Ongoing terrorist violence, in east Belfast and Derry, were top priorities for the political members of the board. The work of the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, also questioned.
Mr Hamilton was already in delegation mood, preparing for his departure in a few months time, with many of the questions passed to his senior officers Barbara Gray and Mark Hamilton to answer.
But it was the high profile arrest of two journalists Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney last August in relation to their work on the documentary No Stone Unturned that seemed to hit a personal nerve with the Chief Constable.
Saying he welcomed the chance to personally clarify reasons for the investigation, he dismissed claims by the Police Ombudsman which said his office did not make a complaint about missing documents to police.
He also vowed to reveal the cost of the ongoing operation, which has been outsourced to Durham Constabulary.
When asked about Brexit he claimed the force was ready for all eventualities, but would not make comment or be drawn into the politics of the EU withdrawal.
In a no deal scenario the PSNI will be called upon to protect the border or any customs posts, placing them at the front line of the Brexit battle.
Mr Hamilton's replacement faces the biggest challenge of any peacetime Chief Constable andt will be for the board to find a suitable replacement in the coming months. The clock is ticking on EU withdrawal but also on who is willing or able to oversee the security of that departure.
