The Independent Commission on Policing in Northern Ireland was established pursuant to the Good Friday Agreement, signed in Belfast in April 1998. The commission produced its report, known as the Patten report, in September 1999. The Patten report contained 175 recommendations, nine of which related specifically to co-operation with the Garda Síochána. A further recommendation was that the community balance at more senior ranks in the police service should be addressed by lateral entry from both police services.