Sinn Féin has called on Northern Ireland's police ombudsman to resign.
The call comes after a report, published on Monday, found that the independence of the ombudsman's office had been lowered by its handling of historical cases.
Ombudsman Al Hutchinson was due to leave the position in just over three years time, but after the report was published he said he is to leave his post earlier than planned.
"I acknowledge that personal attacks on me, criticisms, are becoming dysfunctional in their impact in the office and I have reflected on that and I have taken a decision," he said.
Hutchinson commissioned the highly critical Criminal Justice Inspectorate report in April after the resignation of his chief executive, Sam Pollock.
Mr. Pollock claimed that the operational independence of the office from the PSNI had been lowered, a claim which has been rejected by Hutchinson.
Dr. Michael Maguire, chief inspector of criminal justice in Northern Ireland, said the report's findings raised significant concerns about historical cases.
"Significant concerns were identified around how sensitive, complex and high-profile historical cases are currently investigated and handled," he said.
"The inspectorate believes that the ways in which the Police Ombudsman's office has dealt with these cases has served to undermine rather than enhance its decision-making capacity. As a consequence of these contributory factors, its operational independence has been lowered."
Responding to the report, justice minister, David Ford, said: "People need to be confident that the Office of the Police Ombudsman is able to hold the police to account in an impartial, independent and robust way."
However, Sinn Féin MLA, Gerry Kelly, said the ombudsman should resign immediately.
"This is the third critical report into the ombudsman's office and it is an indictment of the leadership that Al Hutchinson has shown," Kelly said.
"Sinn Féin believe in the ombudsman's office and that it is a crucial mechanism to make sure we have accountable policing. However, with the independence of the office being yet again called into question the credibility of that office is at rock bottom."
The chair of the assembly's justice committee, Paul Givan (DUP), said: "The real issue that needs to be addressed in light of this report are the responsibilities and remit of the ombudsman's office.
"The office was established in order to provide scrutiny and accountability of policing here and this should be the role fulfilled by the office, not carrying out a review of historical events."
