Sinn Féin To Support Policing In The North

Special Ard Fheis Overwhelming Approves Historic Decision

The special Sinn Féin Ard Fheis on Policing in the North was held in Dublin last weekend, attending by over 2,000 people.

After a six-hout debate, which was cut short by the party leadership, around 900 party members voted on the motion agreed at the Ard Comhairle last week with 90% of them voting to support it.

Speaking after the vote, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams described the decision as truly historic: "Today you have created the potential to change the political landscape on this island forever."

"You have created the opportunity to significantly advance our struggle and you have seized the opportunity to further our primary objective of united Ireland through the building of greater political strength," he continued.

"If the promise and hope of the peace process is to deliver peace and prosperity, that means beginning a real dialogue, an anti-sectarian dialogue, a dialogue which will move us to a real future," he concluded.

The Taoiseach warmly welcomed the decision to support policing and the rule of law. 

Speaking on Monday evening he said "I warmly welcome the decision by the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis to support policing and the rule of law and for party representatives to take their places on the policing oversight institutions. 

"This is a landmark decision by Sinn Féin and opens the way for inclusive support for policing throughout Northern Ireland. 

"That is profoundly in the interests of everybody.  I hope that it also opens the way to full restoration of the power sharing Executive and the other Good Friday Agreement institutions in March. 

"It is vital that we continue to maintain the momentum from the St Andrews agreement and the timetable set out in that agreement."

PSNI Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde also welcomed the move, saying that his "view has always been that policing is a public service which every member of the community should be able to access on an equal and equitable basis."

"I have always said that no ideology or individual should stand between the public and that service and that the community is entitled to have their public representatives hold this police service to account."

While DUP MP for East Antrim Sammy Wilson did accept that Sinn Féin had taken a step forward, he was not willing to take the decision at face-value: "The ultimate test of this, because there is no trust in Sinn Fein, is will they deliver on supporting policing before they get into government?

"They cannot get into government and not support the police."

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey was more positive claiming that the vote "is the inevitable outworking of the peace process begun in the mid-nineties, requiring as it did that all parties commit to exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

"The UUP has been saying for months that Sinn Fein had nowhere else to go as they had to sign up to the Pledge of Office to support law and order before joining any future Executive.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said that "They now need to sign with no ifs or buts.

"As Gerry Adams now accepts, nationalist areas need policing." This week the British and Irish governments will now publish a special IMC report (its 13th) as provided for in the St. Andrews Agreement.