First Minister Michelle O’Neill is attending a PSNI graduation ceremony at Garnerville in east Belfast.
She shook hands with PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher on arrival.
Earlier, Mr Boutcher described Ms O’Neill’s attendance at the ceremony as “a hugely positive gesture”.
Sinn Féin is attending a PSNI graduation ceremony for the first time, on Friday. Its policing board member Gerry Kelly is attending, as is Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long is at the event in her role as justice minister.
She has said she is “very pleased” Sinn Féin are attending and said it is “probably long overdue, but certainly a good start in terms of showing commitment to policing and justice”.
“I hope that the visuals of seeing someone who is a republican, who is First Minister, engaging openly with the police and confidently with the police would encourage other people from a nationalist background to consider coming forward and getting involved in policing,” she told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster.
Mrs Long added that key to this was money being found so that “new recruitment campaigns can be successful and bring new people into the service”.
However, Ulster Unionist policing board member Mike Nesbitt has criticised Mr Boutcher for his party leader Doug Beattie not being invited.
“By definition, that is not inclusive,” he said, highlighting the other three Executive parties would be represented at the ceremony.
In response, Mr Boutcher said he wished “to make clear that I respect and work closely with all political parties in Northern Ireland”.
“I have personally spoken to Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, for whom I have enormous respect,” he added.
“With the restoration of the Assembly, now is the time to grasp the opportunity to work together, rather than have policing as a political football.”
Mr Boutcher said “to correct the record” the PSNI was “approached this week” for the First Minister to attend Friday’s ceremony, “which was a very welcome and hugely positive gesture”,
He said he is “further delighted the Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister are also attending, as is the Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board”.
“With the restoration of the Assembly, now is the time to grasp the opportunity to work together, rather than have policing as a political football,” he added.
“I am determined for the security and safety of the people in Northern Ireland, that such future events will have the officer numbers we need to keep Northern Ireland safe, rather than the small yet important number of officers attesting today.
“The reduction of officer and staff numbers and lack of pay awards is the message that everyone should be focused upon.”
Sinn Féin has in the past been accused of having a lukewarm approach in its support for the PSNI.
But four years ago Michelle O’Neill and Gerry Kelly attended the launch of a PSNI poster recruitment campaign.
A number of years ago, Sinn Féin indicated it would begin attending ceremonies once reforms were implemented at the police training college.
An external report of its practices in 2016 was critical of its then “military-style” regime.
The format of passing out ceremonies has since changed and no longer involves recruits marching.
The chief constable at the time, Simon Byrne, described the move as “seismic and historic”.
He said he hoped it would have a significant impact on the PSNI’s ability to recruit more Catholic officers.
But since then Sinn Féin has turned down invitations to attend PSNI graduation ceremonies.
‘Sign of encouragement’
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Policing Board member Trevor Clarke said on Friday he welcomed the fact that Sinn Féin had come to the table “at last, after over 20 years”.
“But why it has taken so long, no-one understands,” he told BBC News NI.
“The PSNI has suffered to try and get PSNI recruits from the Catholic community and given that Sinn Féin are the largest nationalist party, I suppose this may encourage some of those people to put their names forward to join it, but it has taken so long for them to give this outward sign of encouragement.”
Mr Clarke said he did not see an issue with the Ulster Unionist Party leader not being invited to the graduation ceremony.
“Doug Beattie is not a minister of any particular department,” he added.
“This is not a political event, those people are there in their roles as ministers.”
Liam Kelly of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said the attendance of Sinn Féin members would be “a little bit of history” and hoped it would become “the new normal”.
“Unfortunately, only a small number of student officers are graduating and that’s way below what is urgently required,” he added.
“We would like the first minister to realise the dire and parlous state that policing finds itself in and to lead the effort to secure adequate resources and meaningful recruitment.”
PSNI Supt Gerry Murray, Catholic Police Guild of Northern Ireland chairman, welcomed the attendance of Ms O’Neill and Ms Little-Pengelly at the graduation ceremony.
“We all need to work towards a Police Service which truly and fully reflects the society and community it serves,” he said.
He added that a wholehearted endorsement of the police service “from all our politicians” was required and it was “symbolic and appropriate that we welcome our new First and deputy First Ministers” to the ceremony.